Firsts
by RennaV
Summary: Focuses on the firsts (hug, kiss, kill, time, etc) of Team Guy. Written for humor and to expand a bit on my "Twenty Truths about Team Guy" fic which you don't really have to read to understand this one. Truth or dare is involved. Swearing, sex as well as Neji X Tenten and Lee X OC. Guy funniness. Neji dons the green spandex. More craziness ensues. Updated as inspired.
1. Hyuuga Neji

**Hyuuga Neji**

 **Author's notes:** In case you haven't noticed: I'm pretty much in love with Team Guy and Hyuuga Neji. I mean these are people who have never met and aren't meant to be part of a "specialty team" (Ino-Shika-Cho for instance) and have learned to work together. They watch each other's backs, they work well off each other, and they seem to genuinely care about each other.

Anyway, yet another fan-fiction for the beloved Team Guy, this one focusing on the team's first: hug, kiss, kill, and "time." This time around we're focusing on Neji's firsts. This _may_ kind of expand on my "Twenty Truths about Team Guy" fan-fiction and it will be referred to. Again, you don't have to read it to understand this.

Also: Long chapters are long. Each will have about 15,000 words to describe their four firsts. So you know. ;)

 **General Warnings:** I'm making up some of the time lines. It's been _a while_ since I've watched Naruto (when they were all genin) and I don't have the best of memories. There might be some OOC-ness. There will be on screen kissing and/or sex. Swearing will be included as well, hence the M warning.

Onwards!

* * *

 **Hug**

Neji strode toward his team's regular training field as the sun continued to rise. Anyone who looked at him would not know anything was wrong with the Hyuuga prodigy but inside, Neji was overflowing with emotions.

Three days ago he had been released from the hospital. Over a month ago he had almost been killed by an S-Rank shinobi by the name of Kidomaru trying to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke. Neji had almost died.

He had come so close in fact, it had taken eight medical shinobi and a forbidden technique to make sure he did not say "hello" to his father at the ripe age of thirteen. Even after said forbidden jutsu he had to stay in the hospital for a month and still had _horrible_ scars which would likely never fade away.

One was high on his left chest, above his nipple and off an inch from his heart. It was the size of a person's _palm_ and had odd off shoots coming from the main middle area which had become darker than the rest of his skin. The scar's match sat on his back in the same position and in the same sort of pattern.

The other was to the right of his belly button by a few inches and again, palm sized. This one looked like a spiral and did not have the odd off shoots. Again, it appeared darker than the rest of his skin and its match was on his back.

He had six more scars on his back, all two inches long and half an inch thick from Kidomaru's initial kunai. These ones might fade over time, if he happened to be lucky. Neji understood shinobi life dictated scars but it had been _rare_ for Hyuuga to have them.

No one before Kidomaru had predicted the Byakugan's blind spot or used it to their advantage as Kidomaru had. Neji didn't mind killing the bastard to take that secret to the grave but almost dying still gave him nightmares.

Worse, he had an odd fear of spiders to contend with as well. Even little house spiders he would normally not pay attention to would make his throat close up and sweat pop up along his brow. He would freeze as if he was a small child, untrained in any method of defense and facing down a killer. For a trained shinobi to have such an inconsequential fear was pathetic. He could tell no one.

No, the worst part of the entire situation had to be the fact despite the fact he, Choji, and Kiba had almost _died_ Naruto had ultimately failed in bringing Sasuke back, almost dying himself. _Lee_ had left the hospital to take on an S-Rank shinobi and if he had not accidently drank sake in the middle of the mission well, he would be dead.

If Gaara hadn't shown up then Lee would not be complaining from his hospital room right now. If Temari had not stepped in then Shikamaru would have killed himself. If Kankuro had not stepped in then Kiba and Akamaru would be nothing but names on the Memorial Stone.

And for what?

Some bastard Uchiha who had decided to leave his village to get vengeance on his brother? Some idiot who wanted to become stronger so sided with a missing criminal to get that power instead of working with his team and his friends?

Neji had decided Uchiha Sasuke was an asshole. If he ever saw the damned idiot he would hurt him, perhaps even kill him. Hell, Neji would take permanently cutting off the tenketsu to Uchiha's eyes so the asshole could never use the Sharingan again.

Neji exhaled and made his rage go with his breath. He could hear Guy-sensei up ahead, telling Tenten to keep pushing herself and allowed a small smile to grace his lips. Tenten would be _furious_ at him for leaving her alone to contend with Guy-sensei on her own.

Neji frowned.

Tenten had no idea how close she had come to becoming a one-man cell before she made chunin. No. She knew. Neji heard her crying over him when she thought he had been sleeping. Neji huffed and shook his head.

"Neji! My precious genius!"

Neji looked up at Guy-sensei who waved him over, teeth-pinging, bowl cut glimmering in the sun, and a thumb up. Neji smirked but wiped the expression off quickly before approaching his sensei and female teammate.

"Neji, thank everything you're back," Tenten said.

"Now we can train together!"

Guy-sensei didn't know the meaning of quiet. Neji found he did not mind, not in this moment. The hospital had been filled with the wrong sounds (ringing bells, coughing, moans of pain, crying...best not to think of it) and the Hyuuga Compound had an oppressive silence. The kind which made you think shutting a drawer in your room too loud would make the walls crumble around you.

Neji said nothing as they started with laps. They moved onto push-ups then chin-ups. Sit-ups came next and Neji found himself getting exhausted. He gritted his teeth and moved into squats with Guy-sensei and Tenten. At least Tenten looked as tired as he felt.

The day wore on with Guy-sensei's insane training regime. When lunch came they ate in a triangle of sorts. Guy-sensei asked about Neji's health and Neji replied with as little information as he could get away with as to not arouse suspicion. Lunch ended and he sparred with Tenten.

Half way through the training session she launched a weapon into his blind spot. He happened to be turning his head and the kunai sliced along his right arm; cutting through the fabric of his shirt and making that sleeve an inch shorter than the other. Tenten gaped and fist-pumped, happy she had finally landed a hit on Neji.

Externally Neji congratulated her. Internally he thought of spiders. Arrows made from chakra manipulated spit. Webbing which could only be broken by disrupting chakra. An arrow piercing through the left side of his chest...pain...spiders...webs... _pain_...

Neji took a deep breath and let it out slowly as Tenten celebrated. He ignored the trembling of his hands when he got back into his fighting stance. Neji willed his rapidly beating heart to slow down before it broke his sternum. Neji bit his tongue to keep from pursing his lips and hyperventilating.

"Hm," Guy-sensei said.

"I can't believe I hit you! I mean, it wasn't a real hit or anything but finally! Jeez, it's taken over a year to even get a scratch on you," Tenten went on.

Neji gritted his teeth. He felt the constriction of webbing around his body. The agony of kunai made from chakra hitting his back. The sheer _terror_ of something getting through his blind spot...

"You happened to hit my blind spot," Neji said.

He wanted to take back the words when Tenten's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. Why had he said something so _stupid?_ Now she could play the same game Kidomaru had until...

"Your Byakugan has a blind spot?" Guy-sensei asked.

He had become oddly serious. Neji came out of his fighting stance to stand stiffly, hands clenched in fists at his sides. He nodded, once, but kept his head bowed. Eyes to the ground or not, with his dojutsu activated he could see Guy-sensei and Tenten coming towards him.

Strangely, both looked serious and, nervous? Why would they be nervous? He was the one who spilled a secret no one outside the Hyuuga clan should know.

"Where is it?" Tenten questioned.

"Why?" Neji returned.

She winced. He had asked a bit gruffly. Guy-sensei hummed and crossed his arms over his chest. Neji glared at their teacher but Guy-sensei did not back down. Neji wanted to kick the ground in frustration. Most people could not deal with his heated stare without Byakugan activated. Even with his Byakugan, Guy-sensei did not flinch away from Neji's glower.

"I assume Tenten is asking for the same reason I would: so we can protect it until you have gotten rid of it," Guy-sensei said.

Neji opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. His rage evaporated and he felt his shoulders sag and his fists unclench. Neji sighed but nodded. He met Tenten's eyes (she took half a step back, at least she was affected by his eyes still) and frowned.

"It is located at the back of my neck, above the first thoracic vertebra," Neji said.

Tenten bit her lip and moved to his back. Neji didn't shift, even when she lifted her hand. He could see her hand moving until it entered his blind spot. Now all he could see was her arm and part of her hand. Neji felt the lightest bit of pressure on his back, right a top his blind spot.

"Right here?" Tenten asked softly.

"Yes," Neji replied.

Her eyebrows narrowed and her lips turned downwards into a scowl. She nodded once.

"Then I'll make sure I protect it with my life until you don't need me to," Tenten said.

Neji smiled, softly and let out a little breath. He blinked away the threatening tears and swallowed down the emotions in his throat. A few awkward moments later and they were sparring again.

Guy-sensei called for a stop at sixteen hundred hours. Neji wanted to collapse onto the ground and stay there until his body stopped aching but he walked around with Tenten to help collect her various weapons. Guy-sensei made a contest out of it but Neji and Tenten let him win. Neji watched as Tenten re-sealed her weapons and Guy-sensei started going through the motions of a fight by himself.

Neji stood in the middle of the field, even when Tenten yelled out her good evening sentiments and walked off the field. Neji still did not move even when Guy-sensei continuing training all by his lonesome.

Neji took a deep breath and approached his sensei.

Normally he would head back to the compound, have a long warm bath, eat a filling dinner then read for a bit before going to sleep. Today, he had a personal mission to accomplish before going to the compound.

Neji did not want to end up at the mercy of his blind spot again. He did not want to be in a position where someone could defeat him. He did not want to fail.

More than all of the above: he did not want to die.

"Guy-sensei?" Neji questioned.

"Ah, my precious genius! You are still here basking in youth with me," Guy-sensei said.

Perhaps he should have asked Hiashi-sama.

No.

Admitting to the clan head Neji had a weakness would be suicide. Besides, Hiashi-sama likely would not take the time to train with a Branch House member over his heiress Hanabi-sama. Guy-sensei was the only person Neji could ask.

"Neji?"

Apparently Neji stayed silent for too long.

"I want to become stronger because I failed and I do not like failing," Neji said.

There. The words were out. He hadn't implode either which had been a bonus.

Now Guy-sensei could help him train, so long as he didn't have to wear the horrible spandex. Neji would go to sleep at night and rest instead of dreaming he was caught in Kidomaru's webs. Neji would be able to squish a simple spider instead of having a panic attack about it and throw the nearest thing to him to hopefully eradicate the creature.

Neji looked up when Guy-sensei put a hand on Neji's right shoulder and smiled. Guy-sensei's teeth pinged and he gave Neji a thumb up.

"My precious genius! The passion of youth burns strong in you and you are becoming stronger every day," Guy-sensei said.

Neji stared at his beaming sensei with no expression. Guy-sensei was wrong. Neji _wasn't_ become stronger every day. Based on today's performance he had become _weaker_ since his fight with Kidomaru. Guy-sensei didn't understand.

Neji didn't want to be able to run a thousand laps around the field without collapsing. He didn't want to do hundreds of push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, chin-ups, squats and whatever else exercise Guy-sensei threw at them in minutes like Lee could.

He wanted, no, he _needed_ to become better. A better shinobi, a better sensory shinobi, Hell, a better _Hyuuga._ He didn't need physical strength. He didn't know _what_ he needed but Guy-sensei's foolish generic speech would _not help_.

"No," Neji said while shaking his head. "You don't get it."

Guy took half a step back. Neji did not realize he had shouted and pushed Guy-sensei's hand off his shoulders. He did notice he had activated Byakugan and his entire body had gone tense. Neji tugged on the collar of his shirt and the zipper screeched as he forced it open.

Two of the three straps across the front of his shirt popped open as he tugged the left side of his shirt down to reveal the scar on his upper chest. Guy-sensei's eyebrows had gone up, his eyes went wide, and his mouth popped open but at the moment Neji did not care.

"I want, _need_ , to become stronger! I'm _not_ talking about physical strength! You _know_ my style doesn't rely on that! I want, I need, how do I, I, I just can't die a failure!"

Neji's vision had gone blurry but he didn't pay much attention to it. He felt something trail down the right side of his cheek but disregarded the wetness as well. He stood in front of Guy-sensei, glaring up at him and panting, the left side of his shirt pulled down to expose half his chest and the scar.

Guy-sensei's eyes had become damp and Neji saw Guy-sensei's shoulders shaking. Neji gasped when a moment later he became encased in Guy-sensei's arms. Neji was so stunned the Byakugan de-activated and he stiffed, unsure of what to do.

The last person who had hugged him had been his father. People tried to hug him, especially his team when they first met him but he normally had enough time to side-step then glower at the person until they backed off. Some of his newly made friends (thanks to Naruto) had tried but he would move away and stare until they stepped back. No one in the Hyuuga clan attempted, ever.

For several seconds, Neji tried to get away but his body was too weak. Even at full strength, Neji would not have been able to break from Guy-sensei's embrace without seriously injuring the man. He knew this but still tried in vain to get away.

After a few more seconds of struggling, Neji began to realize something important, a few things actually.

The first concept was that Guy-sensei didn't _want_ to let Neji go. Normally this would be a horrible thought but Neji knew Guy-sensei and knew how the man thought. Guy-sensei hugging something tightly meant he wanted to keep that something around for a while.

Neji felt wanted.

The second realization was the hug was not bad, to be perfectly honest. In fact, Neji found he liked it. Being held close to someone who cared about him meant someone had acknowledged him enough to help him.

Neji felt cared for.

The third insight was simple. Suddenly spiders were not so bad. Being trapped (in someone's arms at least) did not hurt. Kidomaru could not hurt him and even if the beast came back from the dead then Guy-sensei would be there to protect Neji if he needed it.

Neji felt safe.

Neji closed his eyes and buried his head into Guy-sensei's shoulder. His arms came up and wrapped around Guy-sensei's chest. Fingers dug into the vest Guy-sensei wore and Neji ignored the feel of the zipper of the vest pressing against him. Neji let the tears come but did not allow his breath to hitch.

Guy-sensei had started humming, some nameless tune, and kept Neji so close, Guy-sensei's fingers skated along Neji's sides. Neji clutched harder to Guy-sensei's vest and burrowed his face deeper into the crook of Guy-sensei's neck and shoulder. Guy-sensei did not seem to care Neji made Guy-sensei's vest all wet and would probably cover it in snot.

"You did not fail," Guy-sensei said. "You exceeded anyone's expectations by _defeating_ an S-Rank criminal very few would have been able to beat and you needed no one's help to do it. Not only that but you did it _after_ the man had figured out your blind spot. _Never, ever_ think that you failed in that battle."

Guy-sensei had a good point. Still, Neji had almost died. Surely almost dying meant he had done something wrong.

"You fought to protect your comrades, to give them a chance to return a Konoha shinobi back to us, and to preserve their lives even if it cost your own. That is _not_ the mark of someone who has failed. No, that is the mark of a _great_ shinobi. No, a _wonderful person._ "

Neji had never been called a wonderful person before. Intimidating, a jerk, bastard, slave to the Main House, but never a _wonderful person_. People had called him a great genin but a great _shinobi?_ This implied he was much more than a genin in Guy-sensei's eyes.

"I will, no, _I promise_ upon my very life I will help you become stronger in every sense of the word. No matter what life will bring to us I will make sure you reach your full potential and become the absolute best person you can be."

 _Person._ Not just shinobi, no, a _person_. Not a tool to be used until it dulled and had to be replaced. No he would be a living, _breathing_ , and complete person. Guy-sensei promised. _On his life._

Neji nodded into Guy-sensei's shoulder but did not let him go. Guy-sensei chuckled softly, warmly, and kept holding him close. Neji, for once, did not mind the contact. In fact, Neji found he relished in the hug. It took him a few moments to remember when he had been younger he had _loved_ being hugged.

"Thank you," Neji said.

He was not sure if Guy-sensei had heard him but smiled lightly when Guy-sensei nodded. Neji did not complain as the hug continued. His tears dried up but he still held on. It was warm in Guy-sensei's arms, comfortable, and _safe._

Everything has to come to an end eventually and as such, Guy-sensei and Neji's hug finished. Neji pulled back reluctantly and Guy-sensei let him go. Neji did not go far so Guy-sensei took a moment to pull Neji's shirt back into place. Neji saw Guy-sensei catch a wince when Guy-sensei's eyes went to the scar but Neji said nothing.

Neji wiped his eyes with his hands and did not care how childish it had been for him to start crying. He didn't give a crap at how immature it might be to want a hug from his someone. Still...

"Can we not tell Lee and Tenten about this?" Neji questioned. "I mean, um, the us hugging thing."

Guy-sensei chuckled at him but nodded. Neji let out a breath of relief and stared up at his sensei. Guy-sensei had cried, Neji had not felt it, but the tear tracks were there. Guy-sensei had a huge grin on his face, showing his teeth, and for once Neji did not think the grin so annoying. Neji smiled.

He turned on his heel and strode away but stopped. Guy-sensei gave him the "Nice Guy" pose and Neji's lips lifted up into a real smile. He nodded to Guy-sensei and waved before walking towards the compound.

The smile would fade before Neji hit the outskirts of the training field but Guy would never forget it. In fact, Guy would make it his personal challenge to get Neji to smile more often. What Guy did not know was a week later Neji would stay until Tenten had left the field, simply standing in the middle of the training area with his white eyes tracking Guy's movements.

Eventually Guy would feel odd about being watched so intently and walk over to Neji. Guy would then grin since Neji would mutter a soft "finally" and wrap his arms around Guy to hug him. Guy would hug back as hard as he could and try not to cry with joy when Neji would sigh gently and return the bone-crushing embrace.

* * *

 **Kiss**

"Why are we doing this again?" Neji asked.

He did not expect a logical answer, not within the company of Guy-sensei and Lee. Tenten sighed and shook her head.

"To strengthen the bonds of our team," Lee proclaimed.

"That is right, Lee! It is to help us burn brightly in our youth," Guy-sensei added _loudly._

Neji sighed. He was all for strengthening the team bonds. Hell, he had voluntarily waited until after Lee and Tenten left the training field a few days ago so he and Guy-sensei could hug. Neji would _never_ admit to wanting to be hugged by anyone, especially Guy-sensei, but the embrace felt good. It had since the first time a few days after he had left the hospital following the fight with Kidomaru.

Neji had no idea how playing such a childish game would help them become a better team, team bonding and hugging aside. Neji frowned and glanced to Tenten, the only other _sane_ person in this unit.

She had a frown on her face, her shoulders had sagged forward, and her eyes were half closed. At least she was as annoyed and reluctant as he was. They had more in common than Neji had first thought.

"Fine, let's get this over with," Neji muttered.

"But Neji! That is not the proper attitude to have when participating in a team building training session," Lee said dramatically.

Neji had become certain long ago Lee could no longer cut the dramatics when it came to most anything. Spending months training so closely with Guy-sensei could do that to a person. He was thankful now he and Tenten had formed a pact of sorts that if one started acting too much like Guy-sensei or Lee, the other would smack them upside the head a few times.

"Seriously though, can we just do this?" Tenten questioned.

Guy-sensei laughed boisterously but nodded.

"I shall commence our bonding exercise! Lee! Truth or dare?"

Guy-sensei gasped spectacularly when Lee picked dare then congratulated Lee on being so brave. Guy-sensei dared Lee to do one hundred hand stand push ups. Neji saw Tenten roll her eyes. He refrained from smirking as Lee took the challenge.

"What if he fails?" Tenten asked.

Lee gaped at her in disbelief. Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Tenten! How could you think that I, Konoha's Great Green—" Lee started.

"I _mean,"_ Tenten broke in. "What happens if _anyone_ doesn't complete the dare? Normally there's some kind of punishment involved."

Lee wrote this down in his beat up note-book. Neji shook his head but kept from rolling his eyes. Besides, eye rolling with the Hyuuga eyes normally did not have the same effect. At least most people could not tell when a Hyuuga rolled their eyes.

"One hundred laps around Konoha," Guy-sensei began.

That wasn't so bad. Normally the standard number was five hundred. Guy-sensei was having mercy on them.

"In a pink tutu." Guy-sensei finished.

Neji would not pick dare or if forced to chose dare then he would do whatever silly thing his teammates made him do. No way in _hell_ would he wear a pink tutu to do one hundred laps around Konoha.

Lee and Tenten agreed. Neji nodded. Lee did his hundred hand stand push ups and Neji watched in awe. After sixty, Neji winced. Hell, Neji's body had begun to hurt at the rapid rate Lee did the damned hand-stand push ups. Then again, they had all started doing the hand stand push ups a few weeks ago and Lee had made it to one hundred before. Even so, it was something Neji didn't like doing. Besides, he could only get fifty.

"Finished!"

Lee flipped onto his feet and gave a "Nice Guy" pose. Guy-sensei clapped, Tenten grinned, and Neji inclined his head in agreement. Neji raised an eyebrow when Lee pointed to him (dramatically as typical) and shouted:

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Neji said.

Lee thought about it. Lee did at least take the time to sit back in their circle as he considered. Neji waited, knowing nothing Lee could ask him would be too embarrassing to answer.

"What is your guilty pleasure?" Lee asked.

Neji opened his mouth and felt his eyes widen. He felt the heat come to his cheeks and closed his mouth, crossed his arms over his chest then glared at Lee. Lee balked and scooted backwards on the grass.

"Same punishment goes for refusal to answer a question," Tenten decided to mention.  
She had a grin on her face. Neji huffed. His guilty pleasure, so something he was embarrassed about doing but enjoyed to do regardless. No way was he going to mention hugging. He did have that other...thing.

"I ah, like to sing in the shower, er deliberately. I have a portable music box in there and everything," Neji said.

Silence for a few seconds. Tenten burst out laughing. Lee held both hands over his mouth to stop from laughing. Guy-sensei grinned. Neji _was not_ blushing (despite the heat through his entire face, over his ears, and down his neck) but would not sit there getting laughed at.

"Tenten, truth or dare?" Neji questioned.

She had to take a few minutes to catch her breath. Neji scowled when she had to go so far as to wipe tears from her eyes from laughing so hard. Even so she coughed and chuckled every now and again.

"Truth," Tenten said.

Neji grinned. Tenten gulped.

"List the physical features you look for in a person starting from most important to least important," Neji said.

Tenten's eyes went wide and she went red. Lee flushed but had a smile on his face. Guy-sensei laughed.

"Um, well, ah, their butt," Tenten started.

Neji coughed to stop from laughing. Lee didn't bother and Guy-sensei covered his face to hide how much he laughed.

"Then eyes, hair, and um, chest," Tenten went on.

Neji snorted in trying to hold back a chuckle. Guy-sensei and Lee were still going. Tenten had gone entirely red now.

"Then arms, legs, and hands," Tenten finished.

Neji inclined his head and failed in wiping the smile off his face.

"Guy-sensei, truth or dare?" Tenten asked.

"Dare, of course," Guy-sensei said.

Tenten rolled her eyes. She hummed and considered. An evil grin came over her face and Neji wanted to laugh. He didn't because, well, there was still Hyuuga decorum to consider, middle of a training field no one came to or not.

Tenten went to the box Guy-sensei had brought with him and started cackling madly. She came up with a pink tutu, a pink feathered boa, and a pink (fake) flower crown.

"Put all these on and break dance for us for two minutes," Tenten said.

"Gladly," Guy-sensei shouted.

Neji watched in awe as Guy-sensei donned the tutu, the boa, and the flower crown then began dancing. Lee cheered Guy-sensei on as Tenten laughed. Neji tried _desperately_ not to laugh but couldn't help it. At least he wasn't rolling on the ground like Tenten.

Guy-sensei's two minutes of dance time came to an end so he got rid of his pink gear and sat in their circle again. Neji jolted when Guy-sensei pointed to him.

"Neji, truth or dare?" Guy-sensei questioned.

"Truth," Neji replied.

Guy-sensei grinned. Neji had a feeling he would not enjoy where this would go.

"If you and one other person in the entire village were the last people alive in the world, who would you want that person to be and why?"

Neji did not have to think long on this question.

"Tenten," Neji said.

He noticed she went red in the face. Lee gaped. Guy-sensei grinned.

"As for why, well, she is always armed, does not annoy me, and can handle any situation thrown at her well," Neji said.

This made Tenten gape and go even redder. Neji did not think it possible for a person to be so red in the face. Guy-sensei kept smiling in a sort of knowing way. Lee fell onto his back, apparently stunned. Neji had no idea what was so wrong with his answer. Choosing Tenten made perfect sense.

"Hn. Lee, truth or dare?" Neji asked.

"Dare," Lee replied.

Neji smirked.

"Allow me to draw on your face in marker," Neji said.

Tenten fell over laughing. Guy-sensei gave him a thumb up and Lee, Lee nodded. Neji went rifling through Guy-sensei's box of fun and found a pack of markers. Neji sat in front of Lee who proudly sat perfectly still as Neji uncapped a black marker. He connected Lee's eyebrows first then drew a moustache complete with end curls on Lee's upper lip.

Tenten and Guy-sensei had come to stand behind him and Tenten kept snorting as she giggled. Guy-sensei had put a hand on Neji's shoulder as Neji drew yellow and orange stars on Lee's cheeks. He colored Lee's eyelids bright pink all the way up to his eyebrows. Neji sat back a bit to admire his handy-work then coughed to hide a chuckle.

"Done," Neji said.

"That's awesome," Tenten told him.

Guy-sensei nodded in agreement. Lee grinned and gave Neji a thumb up. Neji put the markers away and watched as Tenten gave Lee a mirror. Lee fell over laughing.

"Wonderful job, Neji," Lee said.

Neji gave a slight bow before returning to his spot. Lee kept smiling and Neji wanted so badly to take a picture.

"Tenten, truth or dare?" Lee asked.

"Truth," Tenten got out between giggles.

"What talent do you have that's embarrassing to share?" Lee questioned.

Tenten stopped laughing too quickly and hiccupped. She went red again and Neji wanted to thank Lee for asking Tenten an embarrassing question. He kept his mouth shut.

"Um, well, I'm stupidly good at sewing and really love doing it," Tenten said.

Neji blinked at her. He couldn't picture Tenten sewing for some reason despite her talent with sharp pointy objects. Lee nodded sagely and Guy-sensei hummed.

"That is not something to be embarrassed about," Guy-sensei said.

Tenten waved her hands around.

"But it's _me._ You know, the girl who doesn't wear make-up or go shopping, who hated flower arranging and gets more excited over a new weapon than anyone has any right to be? Sewing is a girly talent and I'm the complete _opposite_ of girly," Tenten said.

Guy-sensei stared in awe.

"She does have a point," Neji said.

Guy-sensei hummed then nodded, allowing this it seemed. Tenten let out a breath of air then grinned.

"I guess I get you again Guy-sensei, truth or dare?"

"Dare,"

Neji smirked. Tenten got to style Guy-sensei's hair so she put it into bows, bright pink ones. Neji snickered at the effect but Guy-sensei seemed perfectly content to sit with his bows on.

"Hm, Neji, truth or dare? I should mention you can only say truth three times in a row before being forced to choose dare. If you do not pick dare after three truths then you must do the punishment," Guy-sensei said.

Well hell. Neji thought for a moment. He could save a lot of embarrassment by requesting truth three times then being forced to take a dare. Yeah, it was a good plan.

"Truth," Neji said.

"Next time it's dare," Tenten told him.

"Fine," Neji muttered.

"Neji, what are you most self-conscious about?" Guy-sensei asked.

Now Neji saw why this game made their team bonds stronger. It was about trusting the other members not to say a word and allowing them to see you do embarrassing things. Huh. Guy-sensei was smarter than anyone gave him credit for. It did help Guy-sensei had said no secrets would leave the training field.

"My eyes," Neji said.

All three looked at him in confusion. Neji frowned and looked towards the grass in front of him, refusing to believe he was blushing.

"The color I mean. Even shinobi can hardly stand looking into my eyes for longer than a few moments, never mind a civilian. Sometimes it's great to be instantly intimidating but other times, well, it makes me feel like a horrible person. I don't think any of you have ever had a young child meet your eyes then start crying because you have "dead monster eyes." Anyway," Neji said.

He picked at the grass in front of him but didn't look to see what his teammates were doing. He jolted when he felt a hand on each of his shoulders and looked up. Guy-sensei had put a hand on his left shoulder, Tenten on the right, and Lee settled for touching Neji's right knee.

"I think you have pretty eyes," Tenten said.

"Like moons," Lee added.

"Or clouds," Guy-sensei said.

Neji blinked to stop tears and offered them a smile. They grinned in return. Neji wanted them to hug him but knew they wouldn't. Maybe after all this Guy-sensei could later.

"Tenten, truth or dare?" Neji asked.

"Dare," Tenten said.

Neji raised an eyebrow at her then smirked. He stood and went to the box. He found _exactly_ what he was looking for but hid it behind his back when he turned. Tenten's eyes had gone wide and she was fiddling with a kunai, a nervous habit. Neji showed her the object in his hands and she gaped.

"No," Tenten moaned.

"Wear this dress for the rest of the game," Neji said.

It so happened the dress he had selected was pink, knee length, with no sleeves, a decent collar, and accented with white bows and lace. Tenten groaned but nodded. Now Neji knew why Guy-sensei had set up a tent.

Tenten got into the tent and muttered about putting on a "stupid dress" and "getting Neji back for this." Neji chuckled but said nothing. Finally Tenten came out. Neji decided to Hell with Hyuuga decorum and fell over laughing.

"I'll get you back, you wait," Tenten said.

She dared Lee to cluck like a chicken and do a chicken dance for five minutes. Lee dared Guy-sensei to sing for them. Neji found it odd Guy-sensei had a good voice but decided it better not to question it.

Guy-sensei chose Tenten and Neji gulped. He _had_ to choose dare next and _Tenten_ would be the one to dare him to do something. Damn it.

Tenten chose truth. Guy-sensei asked to list the top three things she feared. Tenten flushed but nodded.

"Um, failure is definitely number one," Tenten said.

Neji could relate to this fear. Lee and Guy-sensei nodded.

"Being alone," Tenten said.

Neji blinked. He could connect to this as well. Lee sniffled and Guy-sensei hummed in agreement. Tenten scratched the back of her neck and blushed. Neji tried not to think about how cute the dress made her look when she turned red like that.

"And um, losing you guys," Tenten said.

Lee and Guy-sensei shouted her name and hugged her. Neji smirked then yelped when Guy-sensei pulled him into the hug. Neji would _never_ admit (unless someone asked during this game of course) he was happy to be pulled into the hug and took it with a little smirk.

They pulled back (too soon for Neji) and settled. Neji met Tenten's eyes and she grinned. Oh Hell.

Tenten pointed at him and Neji sighed before nodding. Tenten giggled manically and went to the box. She didn't bother to hide the items she brought out and Neji wanted to run or refuse. If he did refuse it was a hundred laps around Konoha in a pink tutu. Damn it.

"I dare you to put this on for the rest of the game then give Lee and Guy-sensei a kiss on the cheek," Tenten said.

Neji felt his entire face heat. He huffed but got to his feet. Tenten grinned as he took the items from her and went into the tent. Neji tossed the clothing onto the floor of the tent, took off his sandals then his clothes.

Pulling on the green spandex body suit was easy but getting it done up all the way to the back of his neck tested his flexibility. Neji tugged on the orange leg warmers and his sandals. He refrained from pouting (failing miserably though the others would not mention it) and stepped back out of the tent with his clothes in one hand.

Tenten laughed at him. Guy-sensei and Lee gave him a "Nice Guy" pose. Neji rolled his eyes and tossed his clothing onto his bag. Neji went to Guy-sensei first who bent with a smirk so Neji could kiss his cheek. Neji planted a quick peck onto Guy-sensei's right cheek then stared at Lee who had become serious.

Neji sighed and stood in front of Lee, bending forward to kiss Lee's cheek. He had almost got his target when Lee _turned his head_ and Neji's lips ended up on Lee's. Neji was so _stunned_ (as was Lee it seemed) he didn't move. Tenten gaped. Guy-sensei fell over.

Neji pulled away from Lee and shoved him hard in the chest, paying no attention to the heat on his cheeks or the fact Lee had started blushing as well. Neji pointed to Lee (Tenten would later think of how _creepy_ it had been for Neji to copy Guy-sensei and Lee in the dramatics) and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Why the _Hell_ did you move?" Neji asked.

He didn't care he was shouting or his voice had cracked. Lee gaped up at him, mimicking a fish out of water while Tenten stood by with her hands over her mouth and her cheeks red. Guy-sensei had managed to sit up but was pointing between Neji and Lee with a shocked look on his face.

"Your hair tickled my nose so I moved my face so I wouldn't sneeze and head butt you," Lee said.

He yelled it and pointed back at Neji. Neji blinked but didn't lower his arm. Instead he stomped a foot and kept pointing at Lee.

"I would've _preferred_ the head butt to a damned _kiss_!"

"I didn't know you would have preferred a head butt!"

"I didn't want my first kiss to be _you_!"

Neji stopped shouting. He had said too much. Damn the green spandex. It had all ready started to affect his brain.

"So, who _did_ you want your first kiss to be?" Tenten questioned.

Neji whirled on her and saw (happily) she had regretted speaking.

"You don't get to ask that," Neji said (screamed but he would never admit it).

Silence. Guy-sensei coughed. Neji groaned when Guy-sensei said a single word:

"Yet."

* * *

 **Kill**

Neji did not sign up to be a shinobi, not in the traditional sense. People born outside of a predominate clan and without a kekkei genkai, that is the civilians, chose whether or not they took the entrance exam to the Academy or if they went to regular school.

Most people chose the Academy because the pay for a shinobi, especially jonin level was huge. There was also the fact most kids hated taking math, grammar studies, history lessons, sciences, boring physical education classes, and other odds and ends. One or two years of this in regular school drove seven year olds to try out to be a shinobi.

Shinobi didn't worry about advanced math or grammar studies. The history lessons were more exciting as were the sciences and physical education became emphasized. They didn't have to learn how to cook or sew (in the traditional sense) but they did learn how to survive in the wild with little.

Plus, hey, fighting for a living sounded like a lot of fun.

What these children did not take into account was the fact being a shinobi _was not_ all fun and games. You would have to run for miles every day going on a mission. You would be guaranteed to see blood, guts, and gore. You would have to take a person's life. You would be giving up _your life_ for the overall good of the village if told to do so.

You were a tool to be used until dulled and discarded. Your life only mattered as long as you were useful. Most people in the class you graduated with would either become names on the Memorial Stone or drop out within a year because the training with a jonin in charge was too tough.

What children did not realize was that to make it to jonin and the highest pay in the Village they had to sacrifice their body, their emotions, and their minds. The best jonin had odd quirks about them: Might Guy with his green spandex jumpsuit and talks of youth, Hatake Kakashi reading erotic novels in public, Morino Ibiki with his odd seriousness and fascination with blood, Mitarashi Anko, well there was too much weirdness about her, and even Shiranui Genma with his habit of chewing on sharp senbon.

Sarutobi Asuma smoked. Yuhi Kurenai seemed to be the most normal out of all the jonin but no one knew her well enough to find out her oddness. The fact she was female and a jonin was odd enough as most women did not make it to her level.

Regardless, every year there would be hundreds of children taking the entrance exam for the Academy, some for the second, third, or even fourth time. Others, like Hyuuga Neji, would take it for the first time but it would be expected, no, _demanded_ he pass.

He had been able to activate his family's kekkei genkai and thus his fate had been sealed. He did not get to decide what _he_ wanted to do in life. No, he would become a shinobi and serve the Main House.

He had been six when he took the exam. He walked into the classroom and recognized no other predominate family. Instantly he hated every child there because it had been _their choice_ whether or not they wanted to become shinobi. He took a seat in the front corner of the room. The child he sat beside tried to introduce himself but Neji narrowed his white eyes and the child promptly fainted.

Neji passed as expected lest the Hyuuga Elders activate his curse seal as a punishment.

That fall he walked into Konoha's Shinobi Academy with fifty-nine other hopeful children and potential shinobi. After four years, half of the students dropped out for one reason or another, bringing their numbers down to thirty.

Neji graduated at twelve, the top of his class of thirty and was partnered with the dead last Rock Lee and Tenten. Their jonin in charge was Might Guy, Konoha's Green Beast.

Neji hated Lee for being so weak. He disliked Tenten at first until she yelled at him for being so mean to Lee. Since most girls giggled at him and did whatever he asked if he so choose, having this girl screaming and hitting him was odd. It didn't help her hair reminded him of a panda. He liked pandas.

Neji didn't like Guy-sensei either but respected the man because he pushed them hard. He didn't mind being forced to do the insane training regime simply because it would make him stronger. He wanted to be powerful, more powerful than the Main House.

If he could not control his fate in becoming a shinobi then he would at least control how _good_ of a shinobi he was. This would be the single aspect he _could_ control, in his mind.

Time went on as he trained with his new team. Four months after being assigned to Team Guy he went on his first C-Rank mission. It was supposed to have been easy: protect an old merchant on his way back home. It had not been easy.

On their way to the Hidden Stone Village where the merchant lived they were attacked by enemy shinobi. Neji had not become used to keeping his Byakugan activated for six or more hours a day thus did not have it activated in the moments before the assault and would later come to train his eyes to take constant strain from the Byakugan.

As it was, four enemies attacked. Neji, being the fastest besides Guy-sensei at the time, was told to grab their client and run for it. Neji did as instructed, activating his Byakugan as he pulled their client into a piggy-back position and took off.

He ignored the client screaming in his ear as Neji took to the trees. Neji disregarded the wet spot forming on his lower back from the client urinating in fear. Neji simply ran. He scowled when he spotted one of the enemy shinobi get away from Guy-sensei and give chase.

Tenten and Lee were having a tough time holding off their shinobi. Neji knew Guy-sensei would stay behind to make sure both were safe before bringing both to find Neji. There were no doubts in anyone's mind Neji was the most powerful of the three. It was the reason Neji had been told to retreat after all.

"Ohgodohgodohgod,"

The client's prayers were muttered into a jumble Neji did not bother to decipher. He had more important things to worry about, like the jonin level shinobi coming after him from forty meters away. The enemy was closing, fast, and Neji had a feeling he could not outrun the man. He would have to stand and fight, once he got the client to hide somewhere.

Neji spotted what he wanted. He leaped on top of the outcropping of rocks then stepped off behind them. The client kissed the ground when Neji dropped him. Neji inwardly snorted but squatted in front of the client. He had to force the man's head up.

The man's eyes went wide upon seeing Neji's Byakugan activated but for now, Neji paid no attention to the man's trembling form. Neji let out a breath.

"Stay here and do not make a noise. I will take care of the enemy coming after us then come back for you. When I return I will use the words Green Beast so you know it is me," Neji said.

"Green Beast," the client murmured.

Neji nodded and leaped over the rocks, standing in the middle of the small clearing as the enemy shinobi came closer. Neji could not see how the rest of his team faired but did not fear the fact they might be dead. Neji had confidence in Guy-sensei to protect Lee and Tenten as well as destroy the other three shinobi. The man might be too loud, wear a skin tight green body suit, and have awful hair but he was an excellent shinobi.

The enemy landed with a kunai in a position to throw but Neji did not give the man a chance to properly aim. Neji darted in, hands glowing blue with chakra and muttered his attack under his breath:

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms,"

Technically, no Branch House Hyuuga should know this technique. But Neji had watched Hiashi-sama training Hinata-sama and other Main House members. He had perfected the techniques with Lee, Tenten, and Guy-sensei and made them his own.

"Two strikes,"

Two tenketsu points closed on the enemy's chest: both upper chest under his shoulder blades which deadened the charka paths to the man's pectorals. The enemy winced.

"Four strikes,"

Biceps in both arms, two in each so all the paths in the upper arm were closed off.

"Eight strikes,"

Two to each forearm so the man could not manipulate charka or use any jutsu. Two hits to each upper leg which closed off the upper half of the enemy's thigh.

"Sixteen strikes,"

Two more hits to each upper thigh to close it off completely. Four to each lower leg which closed off all the chakra paths in the enemy's legs to he could not redirect his chakra to run off. Two extra hits to each leg to be doubly sure no chakra could leak through.

"Thirty-two strikes,"

A flurry of movement no normal eye would be able to follow. The enemy certainly _felt_ each hit to his chest, stomach, hips, and arms. The technique wasn't over.

"Sixty-four strikes,"

The enemy coughed up blood but Neji did not notice. He saw inverted black and white now so thought the liquid coming out of the man's lips was spit. Neji sealed off the chakra paths in the man's entire body, correctly hitting each tenketsu with pin-point accuracy most of the Main House members could not do, except the older ones.

Neji smirked at the fact he was better than his cousins of the same age or six years older at techniques he should not know. He took pride in shutting off the enemy's entire chakra network in less than a minute. He stood perfectly still as the man fell to his back with a thud, arms spread in an awkward position and legs straight out.

Neji blinked and frowned. It made sense there was no chakra flowing through the enemy's body since he had finished blocking it all. For several seconds, Neji looked at the fallen enemy and could not determine why he felt so, _odd._

When he realized the enemy had _stopped breathing_ his eyes widened and his lips parted. Color came back to his vision and he could no longer see the client hiding behind the rock. Neji went to his knees.

The liquid he had thought was spit had been blood. It coated the enemy's lips, his chin, his chest, and Neji _felt it_ on his face. Neji lifted a hand, noticed the trembling but ignored it, and wiped at some of the dampness on his cheek.

His fingers came away bloody.

Neji knew in theory he should be taking deep breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart from the adrenaline rush. Knowing and trying to control his high-pitched panicked breaths were two entirely different concepts. Neji stared at the blood on his hands, eyes wide, chest heaving, and heart trying to beat right out of his chest.

Everything else around him: the trees, the corpse, the rocks the client hid behind, and even the grass on his knees became mote. All Neji could focus on was the sight of his fingertips covered in the blood of the man he had _killed._

He could no longer smell the freshness of the grass and trees, the earthy scent he loved. All he smelled was the blood on his fingers, _on his face_ , and covering the man he had _killed._

He did not feel the cool breeze or the tickle of grass on his bare left knee. All he could feel was the warm blood on his hands, cooling rapidly, from the man he had _killed._

He could not hear the birds he liked to watch or the high pitched keening sound coming from his throat. All he heard was the ringing in his ears. He had _killed_ a man.

Another shinobi, yes, and one who had meant to kill him as well as make him fail his first C-Rank mission but a _person_ nonetheless. A person who had hopes, dreams, friends, family, loyalty to a village and who had been doing his _job_ , his _selected_ job as Neji had been doing his. He had taken the potential life of a person, a shinobi like him, in less than a minute.

Worse, he had been _practicing_ this technique on Lee and Tenten. Sure he had not used chakra during training but if he had...

NO.

He would not think of that. He had not used charka and _would never_ use his chakra in training, not the way he had today. Not against his teammates and sensei.

So focused Neji was on his emotions, he did not realize he had started crying. Not sobbing uncontrollably, but there were tears leaking out of his eyes, through the spatters of blood on his face, and falling off his chin to land in the grass at his knees. He had not noticed his shoulders, arms, and hands had started trembling or his skin had gone paler than normal. He had no recollection of the sweat gathered under his hitai-ate, under his arms, at the back of his neck or at his lower back.

Neji did not even perceive Guy-sensei approaching first then stopping with a gasp. He didn't detect Guy-sensei turn then tell Tenten and Lee (with two captured enemies) to step back five yards and _stay there_ until Guy-sensei told them it was safe.

Neji did not hear Guy-sensei come into the clearing and did not sense Guy-sensei sit beside him. Neji jolted when Guy-sensei put a hand on Neji's left shoulder. Neji gaped and blinked, staring at Guy-sensei in shock. Guy-sensei offered him a small smile and Neji kept staring.

"The client?" Guy-sensei asked.

Client, what, yes. Neji was on a mission, his first C-Ranked mission with his team, and had been told to retreat with the client. Neji smelled the grass and dirt under his knees and felt the cool breeze of the air. He inhaled, deeply, and let it out slowly.

"He's behind the rocks over there. I told him to trust no one except me going over and saying Green Beast," Neji said.

Guy-sensei chuckled at him but nodded. Neji blinked a few more times and took another deep breath. The trembling in his body stopped and his heart began to slow down. Guy-sensei did not let go of Neji's shoulder but did use his free hand to grab a handkerchief out of his supply bag.

Neji stayed still as Guy-sensei wiped the blood off Neji's face, the hand resting on Neji's shoulder shifting to lightly hold Neji's chin. His other hand, the left, softly wiped off the blood spatters on Neji's face. This task done, Guy-sensei took Neji's right hand in his and wiped off Neji's fingers. Guy-sensei moved onto Neji's left hand.

Neji watched with his eyes in a relaxed position, lids raised slightly more than a normal person's, and his mouth set in a neutral frown. Guy-sensei finished wiping the blood off Neji's skin and tossed the handkerchief behind his back. Neji kept quiet as Guy-sensei unraveled the bandages around Neji's right arm and replaced them with a new set.

Just like that, the evidence Neji had killed a man had been cleared away. Neji blinked at his clean hands, staring at them a bit too intently likely. This was proven true when Guy-sensei placed a hand under Neji's chin and lifted Neji's head so their eyes could meet.

"You kept yourself and the client alive," Guy-sensei said.

Neji stared, unblinking. Guy-sensei _did not flinch_. Neji bit his tongue to feel the little jab of pain so he knew this wasn't a dream. Someone _wasn't_ backing off after meeting his eyes so closely.

"We will successfully complete the mission because of you," Guy-sensei said.

"But, I, he's dead. I killed him," Neji said.

Guy-sensei nodded.

"And I killed one trying to jam a kunai into Lee's throat. I kicked the enemy through a tree," Guy-sensei said.

Neji blinked. Guy-sensei gave him a small smile.

"Of the other two: Tenten knocked one out with her Bo while I broke the other's back with another kick. They are tied up and ready to be brought back to Konoha for questioning under Morino Ibiki who will make them bleed and smile as he does it," Guy-sensei said.

Neji opened his mouth but closed it without saying a word. He kept his eyes on Guy-sensei's but said nothing. Finally Guy-sensei took both of Neji's shoulders in his hands and held tight. Neji nodded to him and Guy-sensei pulled him in a brief embrace before helping Neji to his feet. Neji huffed and brushed off his shirt and legs.

"Go get the client and make sure he is safe before bringing him around the rocks. I will clean up," Guy-sensei said.

Neji inclined his head in agreement before jumping onto the rocks and letting himself down beside the trembling client.

"Green Beast," Neji said.

The client let out a strangled sob and hugged Neji around the waist, head in Neji's chest and tears rolling down his face. Neji said nothing but allowed the hug to happen. Finally the client calmed down enough so Neji could lead the man around the rocks.

Guy-sensei stood in the middle of the clearing with Tenten, Lee, and two bound shinobi. The corpse, blood, Neji's blood spattered bandages, and Guy-sensei's blood soaked handkerchief were gone. It was as if Neji had not killed. Neji decided not to ask Guy-sensei about this.

They made sure everyone was okay and secure before walking towards the path they had been forced to abandon. The client hugged Neji again when they dropped the man off at his home. Neji huffed but did not raise his arms to return the hug. The client didn't mind and gave Neji a small wooden carving of a bird. Neji bowed and thanked the client before walking off with his team, back home.

They arrived in Konoha a few days later and Neji sat with Lee and Tenten in the training field to learn about writing up a more complex mission report. He would have finished his before the other two but he got to the part about the enemy shinobi attacking him with a kunai raised and stopped.

For the next two hours he simply stared at his paper. Guy-sensei dismissed Tenten and Lee at the regular time then sat beside Neji as the duo took off. Neji jolted when Guy-sensei put a hand on Neji's shoulder.

Guy-sensei gave him a smile and Neji inclined his head. Neji wrote he killed the enemy (he did not specify _how_ ) and finished his report with Guy-sensei sitting beside him, one hand on Neji's shoulder.

When Neji finished, they left the field together. Neji allowed Guy-sensei to ruffle his hair then strode off towards the compound. Neji stopped once, to look back and smiled when he saw Guy-sensei looking right back at him, standing in a "Nice Guy" pose. Neji gave Guy-sensei a short wave and turned away.

Guy-sensei would always be there for him and Neji did not know how to deal with it yet. In time he would learn how to handle it and would come to welcome the thought of his team being with him no matter what. But, on the evening after completing the mission report with his first kill, he walked back to the compound with slightly lighter steps.

He said nothing to anyone who asked (not many did) and went into his room to use his personal bath. Before he stripped he paused at his night stand. Neji touched the little wooden carving of the bird and smiled softly. He had completed his first C-Rank mission and it had been a success.

* * *

 **Time**

Konoha had been completely obliterated and Hinata-sama injured to protect Naruto. Many people lost their lives, everyone lost their homes, and all they had was the mountain overlooking a giant crater in the earth with five carvings of the five Hokage.

Neji closed his eyes and leaned against the tree he stood in front of. He had been on an away mission with Tenten, Lee, and Guy-sensei thus had not been able to help in the fight with Pain. They had been informed by Gamabunta and had returned to see the destruction.

People had _died_ but been returned to life thanks to Naruto. Even so, there was _nothing_ left of Konoha. Every memory had been buried and obliterated. Every memento destroyed. Every scrap of paper about the history of the village or photos of family had been erased or laid under piles of dirt and rubble.

Neji had been helping dig up what was left around the Hyuuga Compound, using the Byakugan to aid in the process when he spotted the box he kept on his night side table. The contents of the box had been scattered in the dirt and most of them were ruined now.

The little wooden bird he kept from their first successful C-Rank mission, a photograph of his father, his father's old hitai-ate, a feather Tenten had given him, his mother's bracelet, little notes about important times in his life: all of it covered in dirt and ruined.

Neji had run off, not caring people called after him. It had been _strange_ not to be able to take to the rooftops to move quicker but even so he had made it to the outskirts of the destruction. The training fields and forests had survived the devastation and Neji found it ironic.

He had taken to the trees when they were close enough but no one had pursued him for at least two miles now. Besides, the only people who could catch him at top speed were Lee, Guy-sensei, and Tenten.

Neji had stopped in a clearing near his team's regular training fields and here he still stood, eyes closed, Byakugan de-activated, and leaning against a massive tree which surrounded the village. He was trying _not_ to cry and somewhat failing. His hands were clenched in fists and trembled at his sides.

So much damage and for what?

So one man could "reform" the Shinobi World? So Uchiha could avenge the death of the clan? So one person could hold all the power?

Pathetic.

It had been a _waste_. People had died for nothing. The entire village had been annihilated for nothing. Memories, buildings, bonds: all gone, buried under tons of dirt or outright gone. Forever. Nothing could bring it all back.

Sure they could rebuild but it would never be the same. It would be years before the village resembled its past glory. Years before grass and flowers would re-grow in the parks and fields. Even after years some memories would not be able to come back.

Photos which had been destroyed were lost for good. Scrolls, books, files upon files about friendly and missing shinobi were gone. They had to start from scratch as if the Village Hidden in the Leaves had never existed.

Neji let out a long breath and shook his head. The sound of a weapon hitting bark near his ear made him open his eyes and lift his head. Neji wished he could smile but his heart hurt too much.

Tenten stood at the edge of the clearing, hands in fists on her hips, and a little frown on her face. Her entire outfit: loose red pants and white shirt with red lining, was covered in dirt. She had a few streaks of dirt across her face and there were leaves stuck in her hair.

She had thrown the kunai by Neji's right ear, deliberately missing of course, and gotten the attention she wanted. Trust Tenten to thrust a sharp object at him to make him pay attention to her. He should expect this as it was one of the reasons he loved her.

"Neji,"

"Tenten,"

He said nothing more as she let out a little breath and strode forward. She came to stand six inches from him and stared up into his eyes. Neji instantly lowered his lids a little bit so his eyes were not as intimidating looking. She said nothing about this instinct of his. Tenten tilted her head to a side and put her fists back on her hips.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Reflecting,"

Neji blinked when she nodded once. She blew bangs out of her eyes and lowered her hands. Neji did not move when she reached out and took his hands in hers. She squeezed gently and he returned the motion, keeping her gaze as he did.

He had said one word and she understood his pain. They did not have to speak much, if at all. Their body language allowed the other to know what was wrong. This was another reason he loved her.

"It's okay," Tenten said.

He nodded. She smiled softly then got up on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly, closed mouth, on the lips. Neji let his eyes fall shut. He allowed his hands to let go of hers so his arms could wrap around her petite waist and draw her close to him.

She said nothing when he hugged her close to his body, hands clenching at the fabric of her shirt to keep her in place. Her hands had come up to surround his body as well and her fingers tangled in his hair and shirt. Neji hummed into the kiss then opened his mouth.

Tenten did not protest when he prodded against her closed mouth for entrance. She opened to him, nibbling on his lower lip and Neji clutched her a bit harder. The battle for dominance did not last long and Neji took over the kiss, rolling his tongue in her mouth and making her push hard against him.

He moved his hands up and down her back and she gasped before _thrusting_ against him. Neji half opened his eyes to look at her with this development. Her eyes were closed, cheeks flushed, and lips parted as she _shoved_ into his hips again. Neji _barely_ held back his grunt when she pressed against him again.

Neji let his hands wander across her back and to her hips. She kept driving against him as he moved his hands up her sides and towards her breasts. Tenten gasped when he ran his hands along the side swell of her breasts but her pushing against him meant she would not complain about his hands.

The thought was sealed when she moved her hands: one grabbing his right shoulder and the other cupping his left butt cheek. Neji almost started chuckling but she kissed him _hard_. Neji shut his eyes again and groaned into the kiss.

He thrust his hips into her when she started _rubbing_ her hands against his flesh. The shoulder massage felt nice but the hand on his ass, damn it, the motion made him warm enough to want to pull off his clothes. Their hips kept meeting again and again.

Neji pushed his hands under her shirt and she moaned low in her throat as his right hand cupped her breast over her bra and his left went to her back to try and get the bra off. He had an issue with it and she giggled at him when he had to stop massaging her breast so both hands could work her bra off.

 _Finally_ he got the clasps apart and smirked in victory. Tenten kept giggling but stopped with a sharp inhale when Neji's hands went back to her front _under_ her bra and began stroking her breasts.

Tenten was not one to back off from a challenge. Neji had given her a sort of challenge considering the furthest they had gotten before this had been clothed humping and over the clothes touching. Neji almost fell over when her hands dove under his robes, under his _boxers_ , and cupped his ass. He managed not to fall but did let out a strangled gasp.

Tenten smirked at him and he chuckled before capturing her lips in his. She pushed him harder against the tree but he allowed it. Neji did get a knee between her legs and spread her legs. She groaned and clenched her hands firmly on his ass when he rubbed his knee against her groin. Her knee ended up against his groin without causing him pain and she returned the favor.

Neji gasped, not caring he had jolted and squeezed her breasts in his hands. Tenten snorted at him but kissed his neck, nibbling at his throat before pushing herself up so she could bite his earlobe. Neji ran his thumbs over her nipples which made her _shiver_ against him. She gave him a solid bite when he began rubbing his knee against her again.

"Ow," Neji muttered.

"Sorry, sorry, you okay?"

"Hn,"

He smiled when she kissed the spot of pain she had left under his ear. He trembled when she pushed her body against him, rubbing her knee into his groin in a _welcome_ way and squeezing his ass between her hands.

Neji lost himself in the feel of her flesh under his hands and wanted to feel more. He pulled his hands out from under her shirt and bra, much to her complaint. She stopped complaining when he made short work of the clasps on her shirt and tossed tugged the now offending material off her shoulders. He tossed her shirt away then ran his hands up and down her sides while she shuddered in his arms, panting and licking her lips.

Her hands left his ass and undid the button over his right shoulder. Neji helped her in her mission to get rid of his shirt and smiled when she threw it over her shoulder. Neji pursed his lips before hooking his fingers through the straps of her bra. She smiled and gave him a single nod.

Neji gulped as he lowered the straps and the bra fell into his hands. He let it drop, unconcerned of where it fell as he took in her nude chest for the first time. Her breasts were not overly large, a proper handful, with rosy colored and _pert_ nipples. She held onto his hips while Neji studied her.

His eyes went to her face to see she had gone red. Upon further investigation, her blush extended past her cheeks, over her neck, and to the tops of her lovely bosom. Neji bent slightly and took her right nipple into his mouth. She gasped and squeezed his hips in her hands with more force than she likely intended.

Neji did not mind. He was too busy _tasting_ her flesh, rolling his tongue over her nipple and enjoying the way it wrinkled under his ministrations. He nuzzled against her breast and she rewarded him by twining a hand in his hair and massaging his scalp.

Neji groaned and lowered his hands to her hips, pushing her pants down. She helped by undoing the ties which held her pants up. It took some careful navigating to get her pants off without separating Neji's mouth from her nipple but they managed.

Neji felt them falling but caught himself before his larger, heavier body crushed her. She giggled at the fall and Neji hummed at her, shifting so he could relieve her of her sandals. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed his dark gray outer robe being tossed aside. Her hands had moved to the tie on the front of his pants but Neji did not mind.

He removed his sandals as well and went back to her breasts, one hand cupping her breast, thumb flitting over her nipple while he went back to sucking on her other nipple, his right hand shoving under her panties at her hip.

He shifted when she began tugging down the waist of his pants and again they had to pause so his pants could join the mess of their clothes. Tenten pulled his hips back into hers by his boxer shorts and Neji chuckled. Apparently the vibrations of his mouth against her chest felt good because Neji was flipped onto his back in the grass before he realized.

He blinked when she pulled out of his grip, grabbed his boxers in both hands, and yanked his boxers off in one fluid motion. They landed somewhere but he was not concerned about where at the moment. He had other worries.

He was naked in front of Tenten.

 _Completely_ naked for that matter with nothing but his hitai-ate to cover him. He loved her and yes, had always wanted to be with her in every sense of the word but he had not expected it to happen like this. Neji didn't move or try to cover up as Tenten's eyes raked over his body from chest to waist. She paused at waist.

Her lips parted and her eyes went wide. Her cheeks went pinker, the blush deepening all the way down to her breasts again and she kept _staring._ Neji felt heat come to his cheeks. He knew Tenten hadn't been with another male but she _had_ seen the male anatomy. Neji didn't know if he was larger or smaller than the ones Tenten had seen and wanted to ask.

He opened his mouth but all that came out was a strangled yelp as she grabbed his penis in her right hand. He gasped when she gripped it _wonderfully_ and instinctually thrust his hips up towards her...

"Hey, it's real!"

Tenten had a grin on her face after this proclamation. Neji stared at her for several seconds, processing the statement. Nothing he came up with made sense and it was especially difficult to think as all of the blood in his body had been redirected to his dick which Tenten was simply _holding._

"What?" Neji asked.

Tenten flushed all the way to her nipples. She didn't let go of him and sat back so she could straddle his legs. Neji raised himself up and rested on his elbows to stay upright as Tenten kept blushing and holding him with one hand. Her other hand had gone to her mouth as if she was as shocked about saying the words...or didn't want to tell him what she meant.

"Tenten, what do you mean it's real?"

Tenten lowered her hand from her mouth and placed it softly on his navel, palm and fingers resting on his flesh from the line of his pubic hairs to his belly button. He shivered a bit but did not drop his gaze from hers. Finally she groaned and started talking:

"You know I've had this crush on you since the Academy, right? Well, for the entire time I kind of thought you were a girl, you know? Like, you had been born in a female body but identified as male, okay? I kind of _assumed_ when we did this for the first time I'd be greeted with a vagina instead of a penis and it's kind of um, surprising? Yeah, surprising. I'm not _bad_ surprised since I like guys and girls, but um, yeah."

Out of everything Neji had been expecting her to say, this was not something in his mind. He stared at her, trying not to laugh as she went on to explain wanting to be sensitive to his issues thus not asking the other guys about Neji's parts when he went bathing with them.

"Tenten," Neji said.

She stopped talking mid-sentence and bit her lip. It was difficult to keep from grinning.

"So you were under the assumption I am transgender?"

He was losing the battle at keeping his smile back but he managed until she nodded. Neji decided to Hell with it and started laughing. She whined and swatted his chest. Neji smirked at her then sat up the rest of the way to kiss her.

She moaned into his mouth and he pushed her onto his back. The angle was a bit awkward and she tugged a bit hard on his dick but he merely winced and went on with it. His hands went to her hips and pulled down her panties. Again they had to do an awkward short of shuffle to get them off and Neji noticed her panties were white cotton kind of briefs, practical and matching her white cotton bra.

Neji smirked at her sensible choice in undergarments before tossing her panties somewhere over his shoulder. She kept flushing as he kissed her mouth again, moving his lips against hers and arranging his body so he could lie atop her in full. She had no complaints about his decision, simply spreading her legs so he could rest hip to hip, groin to groin against her.

Neji's hands went to her breasts and he felt her giggle against him. Neji hummed before leaving her mouth and kissing down her jaw line to the side of her throat. Her hands tangled in the back of his hair and Neji felt her untie his hitai-ate and toss it aside. For a moment he stiffened but she gently tilted his head up and kissed his forehead.

Neji relaxed before going back to kissing a trail down her throat, over her collarbones, and between her breasts. He alternated between his kisses, some being feather-light chaste pecks while others moistened her skin as he licked her flesh. Some came out as little bites but every press of his lips against her made Tenten let out a little breath or run her fingers over his scalp in an amazing way.

Neji kept his head between her breasts for a few moments, enjoying the sensation of resting his head on her chest, licking and nibbling at the flesh close to him. She had begun to buck her hips against his and he shoved back against her, matching the pace she set.

Neji reluctantly left the comfortable place he had found and moved down her chest to her stomach, leaving a trail of wetness and little bites as he went. He stopped because Tenten tightened her grip in his hair and forced him still. The pain in his scalp made him wince but he didn't chide her. He shifted his eyes and face to stare at her.

Gods, she was beautiful.

Her skin was naturally darker than his and colored red across her cheeks and nose. Her normally neat hair had started to come undone and pieces hung in tendrils around her face. Her chest kept heaving with her breaths and her brown eyes had gone wide in curiosity, glazed over from pleasure.

"Where are you going?"

Her voice was soft, breathless, and Neji took a moment to enjoy her tones before answering.

"Down,"

Tenten went redder but let go of his scalp. Neji hummed in thanks before continuing on his journey. He got distracted by her belly button and dipped his tongue into it. This made her shout and push her hips up into him solidly. He also felt her tighten her grip in his hair but not enough that he could not keep moving if he wanted.

Neji was content to kiss her belly button as if it was her lips. He felt her legs wrap around his chest and back, the heels of her feet pressing firmly into his lower back as she groaned and rotated her hips up. Neji placed his hands on either side of her hips and stilled her with a smile. He left a final kiss on her belly button before continuing down.

Neji watched her, rolling his eyes up so he could, as he kissed over her mound. Neji lifted his head before getting to her most intimate area and their eyes met. Tenten still flushed deep pink and her eyes were wide in awe. Her damp lips were parted so she could breathe heavily like she needed. Her hands kept clenching and unclenching in his hair and he noticed she still wore her gloves.

Neji licked his lips and she smiled at him. He chuckled before shifting so he could look at her in full. Neji heard Tenten make a sound of embarrassment as he studied her lower lips. She was damp and her folds were engorged, as ready for this as he was. Her dark curls looked soft to the touch so Neji touched.

Tenten jolted and her heels dug into his back. Neji chuckled before taking a breath and leaning forward. Tenten choked and Neji glanced up. She pressed his head down and he smirked before pressing his lips against her lower ones.

Tenten pulled his hair when he delved his tongue into her and he bit back a pleased chuckle at her reaction. Neji kept his eyes on her as he lavished her folds with his tongue, stopping to suck on the little nub of flesh. Tenten kept tugging on his hair but he didn't mind. Besides, it had become sort of _hot_ and sent little jolts of delight down his spine which made his cock twitch impatiently.

Neji moved away from her clit to taste her again but angled his face so he could rub his nose against the nub of flesh. Tenten kept bucking her hips into him so he held her hard in his hands, trying to keep her still so he didn't accidently hurt her.

Fuck she tasted like heaven. Neji closed his eyes to concentrate on sucking and licking at her, not caring she had started making loud, _sexy_ sounds every time he flicked his tongue over her folds. He disregarded the way she alternated between pulling his hair and pushing his head down. He felt her heels digging into his spine but didn't mind.

"N-n-ne-Neji!"

Her hips bucked upwards hard and he tasted _more_ on his tongue. He held her upper thighs in his hands as she had started to close her legs on his head and licked her softly as she rode the waves of her orgasm. When she lay still and panting, he lifted his head and looked at her.

She had draped her right arm over her eyes but kept her left hand knotted in his hair close to the scalp and massaging gently, almost absently, as she panted harshly. Her legs had gone limp and Neji felt the place where her heels had dug in. Hm, that might leave a bruise. He grinned at the thought.

"I can't believe you did that," Tenten said between gasps.

"Why?" Neji questioned.

She lowered her arm and placed her hand under his chin to lift his head up. Their eyes met and Neji raised an eyebrow as she studied his face. He licked his lips, slowly, and she grinned.

"Normally guys don't want to bother with that, so I've heard from reliable sources," Tenten said.

Neji snorted.

"Since when am I like other guys?" Neji asked.

Tenten giggled. She ran a thumb over his nose and he blinked. Oh. He had a wet spot there. Neji smirked and she flushed. She tugged on his hair and he hummed.

"Up," Tenten said.

Neji chuckled but obliged. He lay flush against her again and met her lips. She didn't mind kissing him after he had tasted her. This was good to know.

Tenten broke the kiss and wrapped her legs around his waist, shifting against his groin in a way which made him close his eyes and groan.

"In," Tenten said.

In, what did, _oh._ IN. As in "get IN me now." Neji gulped.

"Neji," Tenten whispered.

The breath of air against his ear made him shiver pleasantly and he met her eyes. She had her head tilted slightly to a side in question and confusion. Neji felt the heat come to his cheeks and resisted the urge to hide his face in her breasts.

"I, um, I have never been, well, _in_ ," Neji said.

Tenten's eyebrows went up but she smiled. She put a hand at the back of his head and lowered his mouth to hers. Neji relaxed into the kiss and hardly noticed Tenten's hand running down his side. He did notice when she wrapped her hand around his cock. He jolted and gasped.

"It's okay. No one's been in me before but I want you there," Tenten said.

Neji nodded and let her guide him towards her opening. She moved her hand and he pushed forward experimentally. Ah, oh gods the heat! He slammed his eyes shut and groaned. _Shit._ Neji stopped moving when he felt her nails digging into his scalp.

He opened his eyes and saw her wincing and _not_ in a good way. Neji gulped. He was part way in maybe a third or less and he hurt her. Damn it. He hadn't meant to hurt her.

Neji moved to pull back but her legs wrapped tightly around him and kept him in place. Neji blinked. She let out a breath and opened her eyes.

"It's okay," Tenten said.

"But I'm hurting you," Neji told her.

"It's a _good_ kind of pain," Tenten said.

Neji frowned. She pushed her heels into his body again in hopes to get him to keep moving. Neji kissed her deeply and began playing with her breasts. She thrust upwards and he sunk in a little more. Neji kept his eyes open (what a task) and focused on her closed eyes as he kept moving forward bit by bit.

She kept encouraging him in the forward motion and kept running a hand through his hair. Finally he was in to the hilt. Neji pulled back from the kiss gently so she could breathe. He did keep rubbing her nipples in his fingers.

One of her hands migrated to grab his ass. The other stayed in his hair. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"Are you all right?" Neji questioned.

"That last like, inch or two really hurt but it's okay. You broke my hymen," Tenten said.

He broke her, oh. Neji could not help the heat in his cheeks and she giggled at him. He yelped when she smacked his ass. Neji might tell her later how _good_ the smack had felt.

"Move," Tenten said.

Neji nodded and shifted his hips. He gasped and she let out a shout. _Holy fuck_.

Neji wrapped his arms around her and started to thrust, fast, hard, not caring how loud she had become as it sounded so _delectable_. He didn't notice he had started making groaning noises and growling softly with each breath he took until Tenten kissed his mouth and he moaned into her throat.

She _encased_ him in heat, tight, _clutching_ warmth and he could not think. All he could do was move forward and back, driving her into the grass and shoving in as deep as he could.

She kept one hand on his ass, nails raking over his flesh and the other in his hair, pulling firmly on the long stands as she cursed, called out his name, and wordlessly yelped with every heave of his hips.

Neji almost choked on his spit when he gasped. He saw white and let out a shout no one was accustomed to hearing from him. Neji shuddered as he came, lowering his body onto hers and rapidly ramming into her a few more times until she cried out his name and began trembling along with him.

Neji felt his body fall and tilted enough so he did not fully crush Tenten. They ended up lying side by side as she had come with him, refusing to let go of his hair or ass. They lay side by side now in the grass and Neji didn't mind. He closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing.

This was a lost cause.

Neji gave up and half opened his eyes to look at her. Tenten was staring at him, lips moist and parted, hot breath tickling against his face, and eyes still slightly glazed from passion. She shifted so the tips of their noses touched and Neji smiled.

"Wow," Tenten got out.

Neji chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. She grinned at him and he returned the gesture. It took them several moments to stop trembling and catch their errant breaths. When they did, neither moved but simply kept staring into the other's eyes.

"I think I scratched up your butt," Tenten said.

Neji snickered and kissed her nose again.

"It's fine," Neji said.

His left ass cheek _did_ hurt from her nails. He wouldn't be able to sit properly for a little while. Damn. It had been worth it though.

"No it's not. I like your butt," Tenten said with a pout.

Neji laughed at her.

"I remember you saying you always look at a person's butt first," Neji said.

Tenten gaped then swatted him. He kept laughing as she pushed him onto the grass and smiled when she straddled him. He gasped and let out a groan as he entered her, guided again by her hand. She let out a little moan as she settled on him.

Her hands ended up on his pectorals, the fingertips of her right touching the edges of the scar which had hardly faded over the past four years. Neji opened eyes he didn't remember closing and met hers. She tugged off her hitai-ate and tossed it aside with her left hand.

Neji watched as she shifted ( _shit_ that felt _good_ ) on his lap so she could sit up straight. The right bun came down first and Neji watched the thick, wavy brown hair fall down her back, around her arms, and down until it tickled against her hips. Neji stared as her left bun came down. He smiled before reaching up and running his fingers through her hair.

"You like?" Tenten asked.

"Pretty," Neji mumbled.

Tenten grinned at him and lowered her head so he could better run his hands through her _soft_ brown hair. She chuckled and leaned forward ( _fuck_ that felt _amazing_ ) to kiss him. Neji shifted his hips upwards and she _purred_ into his mouth before beginning to move.

 _Fuck!_

"I've never heard you swear before," Tenten commented.

Huh. He had said that out loud. He hadn't meant to, not really but didn't care. Neji pulled her back in for a kiss and let her move against him. He started gasping as she danced atop him. He didn't mind as he was cocooned in her long hair, her hot breath rushing over his cheek, and her hands running up and down his chest.

She began pinching his nipples and Neji groaned, arching upwards into her. She bit his earlobe and he held her hips in his hands, not controlling the motions but simply holding for _something_ to clutch.

They did not last long.

Neji let out a curse as he released and Tenten gasped, digging her nails into his chest this time as she finished rolling her hips to complete them. She fell atop him, head tilted so her breath went directly into his right ear and her breasts squashed against his chest. Her hands trembled against his shoulders and he wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her in place on his lap.

"Wow," Neji said.

Tenten snickered. He shifted until their lips could meet and she kissed back, playfully nibbling on his lower lip. He hummed at her then rolled so he was on top again. Tenten gasped but he didn't move his hips. He was spent for the next few minutes at least.

Even so, kissing felt great. Tenten running her hands through his hair all the way to the ends of it so she could rub his butt felt wonderful. Gods her breasts felt perfect in his hands.

They may have lost the mementos they had kept but it did not mean they had to stop making memories. Neji smiled at his thoughts as Tenten squirmed against him and playfully pinched his nipples. Oh yes, he would _enjoy_ making new memories with Tenten.

* * *

*cough cough* ...Reviews welcome. ;)

Who's next in this Team Guy Firsts series? You'll see next week-ish assuming I remember to post it in a week.


	2. Rock Lee

**Rock Lee**

 **Author's Notes:** Chapter Two of the "Firsts" series this time focusing on Rock Lee. Again we're focusing on the Team Guy's first hug, kiss, kill, and time. This probably expands on my "Twenty Truths about Team Guy" fan-fiction and will be referred to. You don't have to read that to understand this. Reading Neji's firsts might help.

 **General Warnings:** I'm making up time lines and obviously a lot of stuff. There might be some OOC-ness. There will be on screen kissing and/or sex. Swearing will be included also which is the reason for the M warning. Also: I made an OC for Lee. *winks*

Onwards!

* * *

 **Hug**

Lee punched the pole in front of him as hard as he could. His hands hurt and were bleeding but he didn't care. His white shirt and dark gray pants had grass stains and dirt covering them. The red hitai-ate he wore across his forehead didn't keep as much sweat from dripping into his eyes like he had hoped.

At least his hair wasn't as long as he used to keep it. He had cut it all off after becoming a genin and it had a weird curl at the bottom of it Lee was unsure about. Of course he had been paired with Hyuuga Neji who had long hair like Lee once had but the Hyuuga genius had kept his locks. Somehow all the dark brown hair didn't get in Neji's way when he fought and Lee wondered what kind of gene gave gravity defying hair.

Lee winced when he punched the pole with his left fist. He might have broken a knuckle that time. Lee looked towards the ground and wiped the tears from his eyes with his right hand. His entire body hurt but Lee knew he had to get better.

He wasn't smart so being a merchant or farmer would not work for him.

He wasn't good at sewing or doing anything delicate so going into building or making anything wouldn't work.

He wasn't blessed with the ability to cook so owning a restaurant or even working at one would not work.

His memory wasn't the greatest either so he couldn't be a server at a restaurant or anything which required a huge amount of memory.

Lee _had_ been born with steely determination and the will to push his mind, body, and soul to their limits and beyond. So he had chosen to be a shinobi. Really, it was his only choice.

His parents were both dead, mother died in child birth and father had left on a business trip one day and hadn't come home. Lee had been ten at the time.

Konoha didn't do well in protecting orphans but Lee had managed to clear out his family home of whatever he didn't need so he could move into a small, cheap apartment. He had sold the home his parents had bought for an amount of money which would keep him alive until he was a chunin and making good money.

He had been blessed with some common sense at least. Too bad he had not been blessed to be born in a clan like Neji.

The Hyuuga genius did not know how _good_ he had it. Neji's mother had died shortly after giving birth to him and his father had been killed when Neji was four years old. Everyone knew the story of why and how it had happened.

Hyuuga Hinata, the heiress to the Hyuuga clan had been captured. Her father, Hiashi had killed the ones who took her before realizing they were people Konoha was trying to treaty with. In order to stop an all out war, Konoha and the other village demanded Hiashi's dead body.

Neji's father, Hizashi who was also Hiashi's twin brother had been killed in Hiashi's stead to save the clan leader and keep the secret of the Byakugan safe. Even so, Neji had not been forced to live alone or sell his family home. He had a clan to take care of him in his time of need.

Lee did know Neji's clan didn't care about their Branch House members but surely there were other Branch House members Neji could count on. He wouldn't have made it so far in life without _someone._

Lee shook his head free from these horrible thoughts. Being jealous of Neji's clan, his hair, his genius in _everything,_ and his cool calm demeanour would do nothing. Lee gritted his teeth and started kicking the pole in front of him.

His kicks had worn down the middle of the pole, making it look like an hourglass. Lee didn't care. He would keep kicking this pole until it broke in the middle then find some other tree to kick and punch at until he got better.

He would become a shinobi, a great shinobi even though he could not use genjutsu or ninjutsu. He would master taijustu. He would beat Hyuuga Neji. He would show everyone a no-name civilian could become a famous shinobi.

Lee yelped as his right leg throbbed in pain. He had kicked his post too hard and done something funny to his right ankle. Lee let out a sob and fell to his butt in the grass.

"Shinobi don't cry," Lee muttered.

It didn't matter he said the words out loud. He had started to cry. Lee sighed and kept his eyes closed as tears ran down his face. His shoulders trembled and his right leg and left hand pulsed in pain.

What kind of shinobi could he be without genjutsu and ninjutsu, really? He couldn't even beat anyone with his taijustu, especially not now that he had hurt his leg and hand. Boy, wouldn't Neji have fun teasing Lee tomorrow.

Lee wiped his eyes again and stared at the pole in front of him. Tomorrow. He was expected on the training field for four in the morning. They would run laps, do strength drills, speed drills, and everything else Guy-sensei threw at them. Neji would spar with Tenten until Lee yelled at him to spar with him then Neji would take two minutes of his time to kick Lee's ass.

After the spar of sorts, Neji would look down at him with those creepy white eyes, veins predominate around them and down his cheeks and scoff at Lee. He would shake his head, call Lee and idiot and walk away from him.

Tenten would yell at Neji for being so mean to Lee but Neji would get into his fighting stance. This would make Tenten attack him and Neji would smirk as he fended off Tenten's arsenal of weapons.

Lee let his body fall back until he could look up at the sky through the trees. The sun had begun to set but Lee didn't mind. No one would be waiting for him in his empty apartment. Lee closed his eyes and sighed.

He wouldn't go to training anymore.

What was the point?

He had been stupid to think he could become a great shinobi without being able to mold chakra properly. He could barely run up a tree and sunk whenever he tried to walk on water. Neji had laughed at him for that too. At least Tenten had whacked Neji upside the back of his head with her hand.

She believed in him. Guy-sensei believed in him. They were _something_.

"But not enough," Lee mumbled.

"You stopped,"

Lee shifted his head in the grass until he could see who spoke to him. Guy-sensei stood at the edge of the clearing, a frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. Lee did not bother to move or speak.

Guy-sensei let out a little breath and strode deeper into the clearing until he could sit beside Lee. Their eyes met and Lee wondered, not for the first time, if Guy-sensei was his real father. Surely the father who left would have told him though.

Still.

He and Guy-sensei had the same dark shiny hair, thick eyebrows, wide eyes, and jaw line. The major difference was Guy-sensei was obviously better at taijustu. His body listened to him. Lee said nothing when Guy-sensei ruffled his hair.

"Why did you stop?" Guy-sensei asked.

Lee scowled. He lifted his sore arms and took off his hitai-ate. Lee held it out to Guy-sensei and Guy-sensei frowned. His eyebrows furrowed a bit but he did not accept Lee's hitai-ate.

"Are you quitting?" Guy-sensei questioned.

Lee nodded. Guy-sensei hummed but shook his head.

"I did not take you for a quitter, Lee," Guy-sensei said.

Lee shrugged. Guy-sensei took Lee's hitai-ate and studied it. He chuckled a moment later and Lee blinked. Guy-sensei leaned over him and re-tied the hitai-ate over Lee's forehead. Lee stared at his sensei with wide eyes and parted lips.

"Do not quit, Lee. You _will_ be a superb shinobi even without genjutsu and ninjutsu. I promise on my life I will make you that shinobi. Starting tomorrow, during training, I will focus all my attention on you during sparring. And if you are willing we will train long after Tenten and Neji have gone home. I promise. You _will_ be a taijustu master," Guy-sensei said.

Lee didn't know what to say. He sat up, not caring he was crying or that Guy-sensei was virtually a stranger, and wrapped his arms around Guy-sensei's neck, hugging him hard. Guy-sensei chuckled but hugged him back.

Lee had never been hugged before. His mother had died too soon and his father kept him at an arm's length, barely smiling, hardly acknowledging him, and never, _never_ hugging him, especially not the way Guy-sensei did.

Guy-sensei held him as if Lee was the most important person in the entire world. Lee felt acknowledged and loved. He also felt like an idiot trying to give up so soon. What had he been thinking?

Giving up would mean Hyuuga Neji and all the kids at the Academy had been right about Lee. If anything, Lee wanted to prove them wrong. He wanted to show Hyuuga Neji anyone could become a genius.

"I will be a genius of hard work," Lee said.

"Yes you will," Guy-sensei told him.

"I will beat Hyuuga Neji," Lee said.

Guy-sensei chuckled again but patted his back.

"You will beat Hyuuga Neji," Guy-sensei said.

"People will acknowledge me as a hard-working _successful_ shinobi," Lee said.

"They will have no choice,"

"Guy-sensei,"

"Lee,"

The hug continued and Lee didn't want to let go. Guy-sensei didn't let him go and for several long moments they sat there, hugging. All good things eventually ended and they parted. Lee wiped his tears, wincing when he moved his left hand and Guy-sensei hummed. Lee said nothing as Guy-sensei studied Lee's hand and right leg.

"Pulled muscles, nothing you cannot work through," Guy-sensei said.

Lee nodded. Guy-sensei helped him to his feet and Lee grinned. Lee stared as Guy-sensei went to the supplies pouch he kept around his waist and offered Lee a green spandex body suit.

"It will help in your training," Guy-sensei said.

Lee smiled. Guy-sensei walked with him into the village. Together they bought leg weights and orange leg warmers to cover the weights. Guy-sensei bought bandages and showed Lee how to tie them around his forearms and hands. They bought a hitai-ate in red which was longer so Lee could tie it around his waist.

Guy-sensei trimmed Lee's hair into a bowl cut and Lee grinned.

Guy-sensei was a taijustu expert, known through all five Great Shinobi Villages as one of the best taijustu users. If Lee wanted to excel in taijustu he would have to work as hard as Guy-sensei. Looking like Guy-sensei would help. They parted ways but Lee didn't mind.

Tomorrow he would show Hyuuga Neji what a genius of hard work could do.

* * *

"What in the world?"

Lee beamed at Hyuuga Neji who for once showed expression. Neji's eyebrows had gone up, his lips had parted and the odd Hyuuga white eyes had gone wider than normal. Neji's normally tense stance had loosened and his arms had dropped from their crossed position over his chest to hang limply at his sides.

"Neji," Lee said.

Neji blinked. Tenten gaped.

Lee pointed to Neji with his feet shoulder width apart, opposite hand in a fist on his hip and a grin on his face wide enough to show teeth. Neji kept staring in shock.

"I challenge you to a spar," Lee said.

A pause but Lee kept smiling and pointing as Neji blinked again.

"You have lost your mind," Neji said.

Lee laughed. Neji kept staring. Tenten had fallen over in shock. Somewhere behind Lee Guy-sensei chuckled.

He and Guy-sensei had been out here since three in the morning working on Lee's speed. Neji and Tenten had arrived a few minutes ago to see Lee in his much more comfortable attire and here they were.

"My mind is right where it has always been. I will show you what a genius of hard work can do," Lee said.

Neji snorted and shook his head. He rolled his shoulders and muttered a single word. Veins erupted around his eyes and up his cheeks. The pupil of his eyes became somewhat visible, marked by little slashes in a circle pattern.

Neji fell into his fighting stance as Tenten scrambled away. Lee grinned. Neji smirked and shifted the fingers of one hand in a "bring it on" gesture. Lee brought it.

He tried to sweep Neji's legs out from under him but the Hyuuga genius was fast, still too fast for Lee. Lee didn't let this detour him though and ducked under Neji's attempt at a hit. He lashed out with a punch but Neji dodged. Lee led with a kick next which Neji blocked with his forearm. Lee threw another punch and Neji gave him another block.

Kick, block, punch, block, flying elbow, block, kick, block, on and on the cycle went. Neji had a bored expression on his face and actually _yawned_ in the middle of Lee's attacks. Lee took the yawn in stride but scowled when Neji started to attack.

Neji's hands moved in a flurry of movement Lee could not keep up with. The hits were not particularly painful but Lee could feel his body slowing down as Neji hit tenketsu after tenketsu and began to cut off Lee's motion. Lee saw a flitter of motion and had a split second to react. He reached out.

Neji yelped, eyes widening in surprise, and eyebrows going up as Lee grabbed the ends of Neji's hair and _pulled_. Neji was tugged off his center of axis and Lee landed a brutal kick to Neji's chest as the Hyuuga genius began to fall towards the ground.

Neji landed with a grunt but Lee knew he was in trouble now. Neji's eyes had narrowed and he had a _snarl_ on his face. Lee tried to step back but was too slow. Neji's right foot slammed into the side of Lee's head, _hard_ , and Lee felt the sensation of flying. He came down from the amazing feeling with a thud and rolled a few feet.

Lee stopped on his back and blinked at the sky. He couldn't help but smile as Guy-sensei yelled his name and came to check on him.

Sure, Lee had lost the battle. It didn't matter.

He had _gotten a hit_ on the Hyuuga Genius. Lee kept grinning when Guy-sensei lifted him into a sitting up position and hugged him. Guy-sensei was yelling at Neji as he hugged Lee but Lee knew Neji would eventually huff, cross his arms over his chest, and look away from Guy-sensei with annoyance written all over his features.

Lee didn't mind. Neji might have a clan but Lee had Guy-sensei. One Guy-sensei was better than an entire clan. Lee hugged Guy-sensei back and grinned.

He had gotten a hit on Hyuuga Neji. One small step towards his goal had been taken. He would beat the Hyuuga Genius with hard work.

* * *

 **Kiss**

Contrary to popular belief, Lee's first kiss was _not_ during a team-building game of truth or dare with his teammate Hyuuga Neji. True, the kiss had been Neji's first but Lee had one up on his teammate in the kissing department at least.

It had not been with Haruno Sakura either. Lee had met her before the fateful game of truth or dare but had not come close to kissing her. She had excellent sensory skills and always saw him coming. Then she would punch him or run.

The punching hurt but he would chase her through the village when she ran until she punched him. Lee started to think trying to kiss Sakura had become a good training exercise. He added it to his regular training regime until Neji told him Lee's behavior had gone from "love sick puppy" to "stalker" and he was lucky Sakura didn't report him to the hokage.

Lee stopped chasing Sakura.

Regardless, Lee's first kiss occurred years before he met Sakura. In fact, it had happened before he had been teamed with Neji and Tenten, before he graduated the Academy at twelve, and before his father had disappeared.

Lee had been nine...

"Yusa-chan!" Lee shouted.

Lee ran towards her, long braid flapping in the wind and wide eyes huge. His smile split his face in half and he waved hard as his legs pumped trying to get to her. He saw Yusa-chan turn then return his smile and he got this weird fluttery feeling in his stomach.

The feeling distracted him and Lee didn't notice the pebble in front of him. He certainly saw it when it made him plant his foot funny and fall face first into the dirt path he ran along. Lee heard someone gasp and his name was called.

Lee grinned when little hands grabbed his head over his ears and pulled up so he was bent backwards and looking into Yusa-chan's face. Her eyebrows furrowed, her lips had turned down and she bit the lower one, and her eyes were wide with worry.

"Are you all right, Lee-san?" Yusa-chan asked.

Her voice reminded Lee of the sweet song of birds in the morning and he smiled stupidly before nodding. Yusa-chan giggled and helped Lee to his feet, dusting off his dark pants and gray shirt as he stood. He dusted off the front of his pants while she tucked some bangs behind his ear. She gaped then went looking for something in the pink bag hanging off her arm.

She came up with a white lacy handkerchief, licked one corner of it, and dabbed at a spot on Lee's cheek. Lee's smile could have beaten the sun for light in this moment. Yusa-chan nodded her head, happy with cleaning the bit of dirt on his face then giggled at him.

"I missed you, Lee-san. Let's go to the park," Yusa-chan said.

She could have suggested he jump off a cliff and he would have said yes. Lee took her smaller hand in his and she grinned as they skipped towards the park. Passer-by cooed happily at their puppy love and Lee kept beaming.

Yusa-chan was pretty with long strawberry blond hair, bright green eyes, and tanned skin. She was the same age as him (a few months older in fact), and the same height which made talking to her easy.

Yusa-chan always wore beautiful kimonos and today's outfit was bright pink with white flowers all over. The obi around her waist was deep pink and her hair had been tied up in an elegant bun at the back of her head, tied off with a pink bow.

The kimonos always restricted Yusa-chan's activity in the park but she (and Lee) didn't mind. It meant they could hog the swings or the see-saw and no one could complain. It also meant they could sit under a big tree and talk. Lee liked talking to Yusa-chan.

She knew a little bit about everything and he learned something from her every day. She didn't care if she had to explain something to him a few times before he understood and she took great pride in helping him understand anything she wanted.

In short: they were crushing on each other and hard.

But their age dictated simplicity in the relationship most adults wished for. There were no expectations on the "couple" as they were nothing more than children. They could laugh and play all day, talk about whatever they wanted, and neither would expect any kind of physical touch or words about forever.

It was easy. It was caring. It was everything Lee had wanted in a friend and crush. It was everything Yusa-chan had wanted in a male friend and later boyfriend, when they were a few years older of course.

They got to the park and Lee took over the swing to the right, Yusa-chan's favorite. He waited until she sat gracefully on the bit of wood and began to push her softly. He knew Yusa-chan didn't like to go too high so he didn't push hard. He also knew she liked the feeling of the wind through her hair and the breeze on her face which is why she liked the swings the best.

She would always close her eyes, hands clenched so tightly around the chains of the swing her knuckles would go white, and a smile on her face as Lee pushed her softly. Lee liked pushing Yusa-chan on the swings.

It meant he could touch her back but more importantly, see her smile in utter happiness. Her long bangs would flutter behind her head, sometimes brushing against his face and he would blush openly because he knew she could not see him.

In these moments Lee knew Yusa-chan would forget she had been born with her right leg three inches shorter than her left. The other kids would not see this deformity because her feet would be moving too quickly for them to catch on. Yusa-chan would not keep her head lowered, biting her lip, as she concentrated on trying to walk without limping too obviously. She liked to avoid the bullies.

The malady meant she could not test to be a shinobi. She had helped Lee pass the entrance exams and said he could be the shinobi for both of them. It had encouraged Lee to make sure he passed the entrance exams the first time.

It did mean Yusa-chan could take over her mother's business of making the beautiful kimonos Yusa-chan and her mother wore. Lee knew Yusa-chan did not regret the fate life had thrown at her as she loved making kimonos and as she put it: making the world a bit prettier.

Lee pushed Yusa-chan on the swings until the sun started to go down and the younger kids began to leave with their parents. He stopped pushing her and watched as she came to a slow stop. He caught the chains of the swing when it had slowed enough so she did not have to get her shoes dirty in stopping the motion herself. Yusa-chan thanked him with a dazzling smile which made the fluttery feeling spread from Lee's stomach up to his chest.

He helped her off the swing and walked her out of the park towards her home. All of the younger children had gone home with their parents by now but those the same age or older still walked the streets playing games. Lee made sure to steer Yusa-chan away from areas he knew would be crowded with mean kids but she didn't mind.

They held hands as they walked, swinging their joint hands high as they moved through the streets. The exaggerated swinging motion made Yusa-chan smile and Lee grin. He walked with stiff knees, like a sort of solider and swung his other arm in perfect sync with the one joined to Yusa-chan.

She could not copy his stiff knee stride as it would emphasize her limp but neither minded. She did copy the motion of swinging her free arm in an arc like Lee had. Adults who spotted them smiled at their childhood crush and shook their heads, remembering their own first relationships when they had been so young.

Lee turned around a corner, the last one before Yusa-chan's house, and his smile dampen a bit. Four boys, eleven years old and who had been denied entrance to the Academy stood leaning against one of the fences around a home. Lee kept his pace and the swinging motions of his arms but felt Yusa-chan's hand tighten in his.

"Look, it's hop-a-long," one of the boys said.

Lee said nothing but did notice Yusa-chan had stopped swinging her arms so joyously. Her head bowed and she started biting her lip. Worse yet, her limp started to become noticeable as she tried to quicken her pace.

"Hop-a-long and loser," another boy remarked.

The others laughed. Lee said nothing but did stop marching along with locked knees and swinging his arms in long arcs. The boys stepped away from the fence and right into Lee and Yusa-chan's path. Lee frowned as Yusa-chan gasped and shifted until she was slightly behind Lee. Lee had no issue with her motion and puffed out his chest.

Lee shifted so he blocked her more and let go of her hand. He felt both Yusa-chan's hands on his back, clutching his shirt and he knew she bit her lip. She was also seconds away from crying. Lee tightened his hands into fists and stared up at the four taller, bulkier boys.

"What are you going to do, loser?" one asked.

"Keep Yusa-chan safe," Lee replied.

They laughed at him. Lee took a wide stance and waited.

"You and what army?"

One punched and Lee managed to block it and hit the boy in the nose. This caused the boy to yelp and fall back, nose bleeding and eyes wide in surprise. It also made the other three attack him as a unit. Lee saw it coming.

He pushed Yusa-chan towards the opposite fence as hard as he could, hating he had to do it and watching her stumble. She caught her balance on the fence before she could fall to the ground and gaped at him.

"Run Yusa-chan!"

Lee winced when a punch landed on his jaw seconds later at the same time another slammed into his stomach and a third landed right below his left eye. He collapsed to the ground but saw Yusa-chan run in her awkward gate. The kimono prevented her from taking the long strides she needed to get away but Lee spotted her lifting it to scandalous heights and take longer steps despite her uneven gait.

He still felt punches landing on his chest, stomach, and face but ignored them. He tried to fight back, clawing and punching where he could and kicking where he couldn't. His hits were blind and no amount of shinobi training from the Academy could help him now, not when he was outnumbered by enemies taller and more muscular than him.

If Lee had the skills of his thirteen year old self at the time of this fight he would have decimated the four bullies in under a minute, swept Yusa-chan into his arms, and strode off into the sunset with her. He did not have the skill of his older self, nor did he have any idea he would gain such skills in four years.

Finally the bullies stopped their assault. They left him lying in the dirt, giving him a few kicks before walking off in the opposite direction of Yusa-chan's house. Lee took deep breaths, feeling pain along his ribs, in his face, on his head, and in every part of his body. He struggled to his feet anyway and stumbled towards Yusa-chan's house. He did not make it to knock on the door but Yusa-chan had been waiting for him by the front window. It was with the help of her mother Yusa-chan dragged Lee into the home and got him on the couch...

"Lee-san?"

Lee opened his eyes to see Yusa-chan staring down at him. Tear tracks covered her cheeks and her eyes were red and puffy. She had made her lip bleed from biting it so hard and her hands kept wringing in front of her. Lee smiled, not caring that it hurt, and she returned the gesture. She also took one of his hands in hers.

"I'm fine Yusa-chan," Lee said.

Yusa-chuckled and held his hand tighter. Lee did not notice Yusa-chan's mother watching from the doorway. He did feel a sort of foreboding but did not place any kind of importance on it at the time. All that mattered was holding Yusa-chan's hand.

A week later, Lee's injuries had healed for the most part. He still had yellowish spots on his face from healing bruises. Despite the awful beating he walked down the street happily, intending to meet Yusa-chan at their regular spot. He had a spring to his step and a single daisy in his hand. He also had enough money in his pocket to be able to buy Yusa-chan a scoop of ice cream. It was not much but he knew she would enjoy it.

He got to the corner they met at and waited, smiling, and watching both sides of the street for the first sight of Yusa-chan. Hours passed and still Lee stood on the corner, smiling with his daisy in one hand, and the fluttery feeling in his stomach. Eventually the sun began to set and Lee frowned.

The daisy had wilted in his hand and he knew the ice cream shop would be closing in half an hour. Lee felt his throat tightening and took off running before he could second guess his decision. He dodged around anyone who got in his way ignored the shouts of the people he did not make it around fully.

Lee got to Yusa-chan's house in record time and came to a skidding stop. An immense cart was loaded with trunks and sat in front of the home. Yusa-chan's mother stood at the head of the cart with an older man and two horses as more men packed furniture into the cart. Yusa-chan stood leaning against the fence at the opposite side of the street with her head down and holding her pink bag in front of her with a frown on her face.

Lee did not give his customary shout as he knew in his heart Yusa-chan's mother would chase him off. Instead, Lee used his recently acquired shinobi skills to sneak along the fence until he came to stand beside her. From this angle they were still in sight of her mother. Lee cleared his throat and heard her gasp.

He winked at her before taking her hand and leading her in a sideways shuffle until her mother was out of their sight. Yusa-chan giggled at him then gaped as he offered her the daisy. She took it with a blush coloring her cheeks and met Lee's eyes.

Hers were wet and tears fell from them. Lee swallowed his tears down and lightly placed his hands on her shoulders. Yusa-chan sniffled and let out a little breath.

"Mom says we have to move," Yusa-chan said.

"The bullies?"

"Yes and business is slow here. She thinks if we move to somewhere with more festivals and less shinobi we will make more money,"

Yusa-chan wiped her eyes with her handkerchief and Lee frowned. He did not know what to say. Yusa-chan sighed and leaned her head against Lee's shoulder, not a hug in a traditional sense but fairly close.

Lee felt her warmth, the tickle of her breath against his neck, and her heart beating against his. He flushed and swallowed an entirely different emotion in his throat. Lee wondered when his throat had become so dry and why his hands had become so damp. He knees were seconds away from knocking together and he felt both faint but willing to run around screaming in joy.

"I don't want to leave," Yusa-chan said.

"I don't want you to leave," Lee told her.

She hummed. Lee stood perfectly still as she shifted her head and leaned forward. Her lips tasted like strawberries and were soft against his. The heat from her lips made Lee melt into pressing his lips, chapped and thin, against her smooth plump mouth.

The kiss did not last long, thirty seconds at most, and their mouths did not open. The two were nine after all and sexual education would not be for another year. Still, the kiss had been purely instinctual and something the two knew adults who _really liked_ each other did so they repeated the innocent motion.

They pulled back from the kiss and Lee felt how warm his cheeks were. He didn't mind because he knew the color of his cheeks matched Yusa-chan's. She had gone bright red and bit her lip. She twirled the daisy in her hands but did not speak. Finally she offered him her handkerchief with a small smile.

Lee took it gently and they both jolted when her mother's voice rang out. Yusa-chan turned with a gasp while long hair, left in a braid today, hit Lee in the face. Yusa-chan's mother was approaching with a scowl and Lee knew his time with Yusa-chan was up.

"I'm glad I met you," Lee said.

Yusa-chan turned and gave him a smile he would never forget. He turned on his heel and ran before Yusa-chan's mother could catch up to them. Lee did not keep running. He made it around the corner then stopped.

Lee peered around the corner, again using his shinobi skills, and watched as Yusa-chan's mother took her daughter by the arm and led her towards the cart. Yusa-chan's mother had a scowl on her face and narrowed eyes as she spoke to Yusa-chan who said nothing. Yusa-chan did look back once and Lee caught her wink.

Lee grinned as Yusa-chan was pulled out of sight by her mother. Lee let out a long breath and watched from his position until the cart started moving away. He did not move even when the cart disappeared and the sun went down.

When stars graced the sky Lee let out a long breath and walked away from the home which had once held his more than friend. Lee continued his walk and held the handkerchief close as he moved. The smile faded from his face and tears ran down his cheeks but Lee would never regret his time with Yusa-chan.

* * *

"So, who was your first kiss?" Neji asked.

Lee had chosen truth for once in the team-bonding exercise of truth or dare. Neji sat in the same green spandex body suit and orange leg warmers as Lee and Guy-sensei courtesy of Tenten while Tenten sat in a frilly pink dress thanks to Neji. Guy-sensei had a dozen pink bows in his hair because of Tenten and Lee had a marker moustache, stars on his cheeks, red eye shadow and joined eyebrows from Neji.

Two turns ago Neji had accidently kissed Lee because Lee hadn't wanted to head butt the Hyuuga unintentionally. Neji had shouted out something about not wanting his first kiss to be Lee but looked curious when he realized Lee had not said the same. Lee smiled at his teammate and shrugged.

"Yusa-chan," Lee said.

Neji blinked. His head tilted to a side and he considered. Tenten opened her mouth then closed it. Guy-sensei hummed, rubbing his chin in thought.

"That strawberry blond haired girl with green eyes you used to hang out with after lessons were finished for the day?" Neji questioned.

Lee gaped. He had not realized _Neji_ would have remembered Yusa-chan. She came to meet him at the Academy every day when lessons were over and Neji had been in his class. Of course the Hyuuga Genius would notice a pattern after over four years.

"Yes, her," Lee said.

Neji inclined his head.

"What happened to her?" Neji enquired.

Lee sighed. He kept the smile on his face as he shook his head.

"Her mother moved them away because of the bullies," Lee said.

"Hn, you meet those idiots who made fun of her for her limp," Neji said.

Lee nodded. He was stunned Neji remembered such a thing, especially something which had happened to Lee four years ago. At least Tenten and Guy-sensei were as shocked as Lee felt. Lee tried not to laugh when Neji crossed his arms over his chest. The intimidating pose somehow lost its effect in green spandex.

"I heard them talking about how they had driven her to move and practiced my Gentle Fist on them," Neji said.

Lee gaped. He always wondered why those four boys had been so beaten up two days after Yusa-chan had moved. One had been on crutches while the other had two black eyes. All of them had the marks Lee would come to recognize as Neji's particular taijustu style.

It did not make sense for _Neji_ to go out of his way to protect a girl all ready gone and who he never spoke to. Lee frowned as a thought crossed his mind.

"Did you like her?" Lee asked before he could second guess his thoughts.

Neji smirked and chuckled. He met Lee's eyes and the smirk became a smile. Neji lowered his eyelids slightly, a subconscious movement, Lee knew then shrugged.

"No. I thought it was mean of them to do what they did to her so made them realize the error of their ways," Neji said.

Lee smiled and started laughing. Neji kept smiling wider than he normally did while Tenten and Guy-sensei watched in awe.

"Do you know where she is now?" Neji questioned.

Lee shook his head and sighed. Neji hummed but had his thinking face on. After a moment, Neji shrugged and lowered his crossed arms so his forearms rested on his knees. He smirked again and Lee blinked.

"I believe I have over-used my turn," Neji said.

Lee gave Neji a thumb up and turned to Tenten who had her jaw dropped and her eyes wide. Lee asked Tenten the classic question and she shook her head to clear it before choosing truth. Lee repeated Neji's question and they were all stunned to know Tenten hadn't been kissed yet.

"Then we must protect our precious flower's innocence," Guy-sensei said. "And make sure no man we do not deem worthy takes her first kiss!"

"Yes Guy-sensei," Lee said.

They looked to Neji who stared at them with one eyebrow raised. Tenten had started blushing and looked to Neji in wonder when the Hyuuga smirked then shrugged.

"Agreed," Neji said.

It was then the male members of Team Guy had to run. They often forget Tenten could hide hundreds, _thousands_ , of weapons on her person without looking like she was armed. Lee had a feeling Tenten did not take kindly to the proclamation but didn't mind running away from her sharp pointy projectiles.

Neji ran to his right and Guy-sensei to his left while Tenten kept flinging weapon after weapon at them and screaming she could protect herself. Lee grinned at Neji who winked and gave him a thumb up. Lee laughed and was glad Guy-sensei had suggested this game.

He could feel the bonds with his teammates strengthening all ready.

* * *

 **Kill**

It is a well known fact among the Konoha Eleven Neji had been the first member of Team Guy to take his first kill. Everyone had assumed it had been Tenten as she flung _weapons_ around as her main fighting style but Lee had been the one to set them straight one night while they gathered for a friendly chat a month after the second chunin exams.

Their friends had been stunned to know Neji had taken the first kill of the team, Lee had been the first to be kissed, and Neji and Tenten tied for being the first to be in a relationship and later, go all the way.

Neji took a different sort of first a few years later but no one wanted to consider it a _good_ first. Many people did say if they had known Neji would take this particular first then they would have done something different on the day to make sure he didn't beat his teammates to this particular milestone.

The Konoha Eleven were equally surprised in finding out _Lee_ took the second kill of the team which put Tenten in last place despite the fact she flung around sharp pointy objects regularly. Tenten shrugged off the shock and told her friends she knew _all_ weapons equally and besides, sharp and pointy didn't _have_ to mean a kill all of the time.

This put more fear into her friends than they wanted to admit. Lee and Neji smiled knowingly and nodded in sync which made their friends wonder about the effectiveness o Guy-sensei's odd training methods.

As it was, Lee launched into the story of his first kill. He left out the results of it but Neji and Tenten had smirked once Lee was finished. It led his friends to believe _something_ unusual had happened after Lee's first kill but they all knew they would _never_ get it out of Team Guy unless truth or dare was involved.

The problem was, you _didn't_ play truth or dare with Team Guy. Unless of course you _wanted_ to be scarred for life then hey, go right ahead. Don't say you weren't warned.

It had started as any typical day. Team Guy went to the Mission Room before the sun had fully come up to find Shiranui Genma with his head on his desk, snoring loudly, and leaving a puddle of drool on his paperwork. His senbon needle hung precariously out of his mouth while both arms stretched across the desk towards the front of it.

Namiashi Raidou would arrive in about ten minutes, yell at Genma to wake up, and Team Guy would watch in carefully concealed amusement (while pretending to look over missions) while the two argued. Lee had come to like this particular routine and knew Neji and Tenten shared in his assessment.

Hell, Guy-sensei deliberately took extra time in finding them a mission until the act had finished. None of his students minded and Guy-sensei liked seeing the looks on both Genma and Raidou's faces when they noticed Team Guy standing off to a side looking disturbingly innocent.

Lee watched the scene unfold as it did every morning: Raidou would walk into the room, see Genma snoring and drooling then stomp over and slam his hands on Genma's desk. Genma would yelp, fall out of his chair (sometimes upending his entire desk), and the yelling match would begin.

Lee stared out of the corner of his eyes as Genma flipped over his desk today and a mug of hot tea slammed into Raidou's chest. He heard Tenten giggle and saw Neji's lips lift into a smirk as Guy-sensei snickered.

The duo began to roll around on the floor wrestling and Lee frowned in disappointment when Guy-sensei cleared his throat. Genma and Raidou looked up, spotted Team Guy, and promptly pulled apart with deep red cheeks.

"Ah, sorry guys, didn't see you there," Genma said while rubbing the back of his head.

He hadn't lost his senbon and Lee always considered it a feat.

"Of course you didn't, you were, never mind. So, what mission?" Raidou questioned.

He calmly sat behind his desk as Genma righted his. Lee stood beside Guy-sensei in front of Raidou's table as Guy-sensei placed the selected mission onto Raidou's table. Raidou nodded and had to go over to the mess of Genma's papers on the floor to find the proper file. He handed it off and wished them good luck.

Guy-sensei took them into a briefing room and they learned they would be tracking down and capturing a thief known as Miyashiro. They had a brief description of the man along with facts he had stolen precious jewels from the various daimyos of the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

People suspected Miyashiro had been trained to be a shinobi at some point but abandoned whatever village he had an association with and took to a life of crime. Miyashiro was to be killed if capture could not be completed. Guy-sensei told his team he would take the kill if it came to it.

They left Konoha two hours later, packed for a week, and knowing they might take longer than a week to complete this mission. Lee had been impressed when Neji and Tenten worked out a pattern with Miyashiro's hits and the team laid in wait at the Fire Daimyo's castle. Sure enough, they found Miyashiro stalking around the outside wall two days later.

"Let's go," Guy-sensei whispered.

Tenten took the lead with Guy-sensei and flung out a net made of steel which would attach to the ground by hooks. Miyashiro _dodged_ the net but instead of letting it fall harmlessly to his side he _caught it_ in his hands and flung it back towards Tenten and Guy-sensei.

No one had considered Tenten's attack being avoided so spectacularly. Lee and Neji could only watch helplessly as Tenten and Guy-sensei were pinned to a nearby tree because of Tenten's net. Miyashiro took off.

"Go after him, Tenten and I will catch up," Guy-sensei told them.

Lee stayed in step with Neji as the Hyuuga took off to where they had last seen Miyashiro. Lee fell half a step behind Neji then two steps and finally three yards. He did not consider this a problem as Neji was naturally faster (for the moment) and could likely disable Miyashiro a lot better than Lee could.

They chased Miyashiro for twenty miles when Neji finally smirked. Lee knew Miyashiro had started to slow down and this was confirmed when he could see Miyashiro in the tree branches four yards ahead. Neji gave a second burst of speed and Lee followed as best he could.

Lee said not a word about Guy-sensei and Tenten having not caught up yet because he knew Neji wouldn't care. Lee knew Guy-sensei and Tenten would be fine and besides, Neji's Gentle Fist would be perfect for disabling Miyashiro enough so they could tie him up then find Guy-sensei and Tenten.

Lee and Neji were so confident in the self-same plan they did not stop to consider _why_ Miyashiro had avoided capture so far. Neji went in for the strike, leaping from the tree branch he had landed on and leading with chakra laced hands. Lee could do nothing but watch in horror as Miyashiro turned and threw _something_ into Neji's face.

Neji cried out and his hands, free from chakra now, went to his eyes. He did not catch himself on the way down so Lee leaped from his branch and held out his arms. The pressure from catching Neji in a bridal carry sent Lee downwards but Lee recovered quickly. He landed on the ground in a crouch and saw Neji trying to wipe some sort of goo from his eyes.

Lee was about to put Neji down so he could help him but heard laughter. He looked up to see Miyashiro had stopped on the branch above with a grin on his face. Lee scowled and gently placed Neji on the grass under them as Miyashiro pulled a kunai from a pouch on his right hip.

"Might Guy, specialist in taijustu, who took on a genin team consisting of Hyuuga Neji, a Branch House Hyuuga member; Tenten who is a projectile weapon and trap specialist; and Rock Lee, a blooming taijustu specialist. I figured they would send the four of you after me eventually," Miyashiro said.

Lee stood over his (hopefully temporarily) blinded teammate and fell into a fighting stance. Lee heard Neji whimper but could not take a moment to spare a glance at his comrade, not when the enemy was pointing a kunai at them. Miyashiro chuckled again and shook his head at Lee.

"Tenten concerned me because of her accuracy with long distance weapons. She _should have_ simply thrown a kunai in the back of my neck and killed me. Might Guy worried me because hell, who _wouldn't_ be scared of him?

"Your little Hyuuga pissed me off because I knew he would see me no matter what. I took care of that for him. You have, oh, about twenty minutes to get that stuff off his face before it starts to permanently affect his vision. He'll lose the ability to activate Byakugan first, then his distance vision, then peripheral vision, and finally close vision. That means _permanent_ blindness."

These words sent a _heat_ through Lee he had never felt before. His jaw clenched and his teeth ground together. His knuckles cracked with how hard he made fists. His entire body tensed and all Lee could see in his tunnel vision was Miyashiro.

"You don't concern me, Rock Lee. You can't even use genjutsu or ninjutsu. Why should I be afraid you're the last one in my way?"

Lee didn't think. He launched into the air and led with a kick. Miyashiro dodged but Lee's heel connected with the tree branch Miyashiro had been standing on. With a crack similar to thunder the branch snapped under the pressure and fell to the forest floor.

Lee spun in the air and caught the stunned look on Miyashiro's face. Lee grinned but not in joy or excitement. No. This was a predatory grin his teammates would only see come to his face when one of them was in trouble. They were glad they could take care of themselves enough they never had to see the expression often.

Miyashiro landed on a lower branch but Lee met him and slammed a fist into the man's stomach. Miyashiro bent with the blow but even so blood spurted out of the man's mouth. Lee did not stop with the single fist, no; he landed another hit onto Miyashiro's right shoulder.

Lee did not notice Miyashiro's shoulder cracking under the pressure. All Lee heard was the scream of agony from Miyashiro and it made Lee's smile widen. Another hit, this time a kick, and it broke Miyashiro's left femur in two.

Miyashiro fell off the tree branch and Lee followed him. Miyashiro landed on his back and gasped in pain as Lee rammed both knees into Miyashiro's stomach. Blood sprayed out of Miyashiro's mouth but Lee didn't notice, even when it spattered across his face and neck. All Lee cared about was the fact Miyashiro had injured one of Lee's precious people.

Lee started to punch. Each fist landed on Miyashiro's face. Lee did not feel the bones breaking under the force of his hits. He hardly felt the blood spurting over his face, neck, arms, and hands. He did not even see when Miyashiro's eyes popped out of his skull and rolled away in the grass. He simply hit because striking was what Lee did best.

"Lee?"

Lee stopped hitting Miyashiro and swivelled his head towards the voice. That couldn't be _Neji._ Hyuuga Neji would never sound so helpless or afraid. Lee confirmed the terrified voice had been Neji when Neji repeated Lee's name.

Neji had managed to sit up and blindly groped at the air in front of him. Lee did not look down at Miyashiro but stepped off the man to kneel beside his petrified teammate. Neji jolted when Lee touched his shoulder and one hand came back in a strike.

"It's me," Lee said.

"Ah, yes, right, that's your chakra signature," Neji muttered.

Lee nodded then flushed when he remembered Neji couldn't see. Neji couldn't _see._ What had Miyashiro said? In twenty minutes Neji would lose the Byakugan permanently. Lee would not let that happened.

"Lay back down, that's it," Lee said softly.

Neji gulped as Lee began touching Neji's face. The goop was blue in color, thick, and slimy under Lee's hands. Water would not get rid of this but Neji swiping at it without being able to see it wouldn't help either. Lee began pulling the gel-like substance off Neji's face, ignoring the burning sensation it gave his hands when he touched it.

The goop came off slowly but Lee worked hard for the next five minutes. Finally all of the goo had come off Neji's face and Neji opened his eyes. Veins appeared over his cheeks and around his eyes and Lee let out a breath of relief. He stared as Neji's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in horror.

"Neji, what is it?" Lee asked.

"You, what, did _you_ do that to Miyashiro?" Neji returned.

Lee blinked and looked up. Ten yards away lay Miyashiro. No one would be able to tell who the man was simply because his entire skull had been pulverised into little more than a mass of blood, skin, muscle tissue, and brain matter.

Lee felt a cold sweat sink over his body and his heart rate increase until it felt as if his heart would burst. Lee lifted his hands, stunned, and saw the _blood_ coating them. A bit of hair had wrapped around the middle finger of his left hand. When Lee turned his hands over to look at the tops he saw a _tooth_ had embedded into the ring finger of his right hand.

Lee noticed his hands shaking but turned away from Neji. Bile, hot and foul tasting poured out his mouth as he put both hands on the ground to throw up. Lee heard little but the ringing in his ears but did feel a hand on his shoulder. Another hand brushed back the bangs in his face as Lee kept spewing bile and their last meal all over the forest floor.

The ringing faded and Lee heard Neji humming softly. Lee also registered the fact Neji had wrapped his arms around Lee's shoulders in a sort of hug and had started rocking Lee back and forth. Neji's lips were close to Lee's right ear while the rest of Neji's body had been awkwardly placed against Lee's right side.

"It's okay," Neji whispered.

"But, he, I," Lee sputtered.

"I know, trust me, I know," Neji said.

Lee blinked. Neji _would_ know. He had taken his first kill on their last C-Rank mission.

"You did it to protect me and I cannot say enough to thank you," Neji said.

Lee sat back and Neji came with him. Neji kept one arm wrapped around Lee's shoulders and their eyes met. Lee stared when Neji offered him a little smile. Lee swallowed down the tears threatening to fall.

"If you had not done what you did then I might be starting to go blind. Do you know what happens to a blind Hyuuga? They die by their own hand. You saved my life, Lee."

Lee let the tears roll down his cheeks. He _had_ saved Neji's life by taking the life of a thief. Lee didn't care Neji grunted when Lee wrapped his arms around Neji's body and hugged the slender Hyuuga close. Lee tried not to cry too hard but failed and knew he would be soaking the shoulder of Neji's shirt.

Hair tickled Lee's nose but he didn't care. He clung to Neji and sobbed. Lee wasn't even too surprised when Neji's arms came up and wrapped around him, hands softly patting Lee's middle back and the back of Lee's head. Lee did not know how long he knelt in front of Neji, holding his friend close, but eventually he pulled back.

Lee made to wipe his eyes but stopped upon seeing the gore coating his hands. Neji said nothing, wordlessly going into his supply pack and pulling free a small towel and a bottle of water. Lee stayed still on his knees while Neji gently, carefully, wiped the blood off Lee's hands, face and neck.

Lee sniffled as Neji unraveled the bandages around Lee's right arm first and replaced them with dexterity Lee should have realized sooner Neji had. The left bandages were replaced as quickly and Lee blinked at his hands. Neji had put a bandage over the mark left by Miyashiro's tooth but besides this it was as if Lee had not beaten a man's head in.

"Lee?" Neji questioned.

Lee noticed Neji had tilted his head slightly to one side and his eyebrows had furrowed minutely. Neji's mouth had also turned down into a frown. Lee let out a breath and managed to get a small smile on his face.

"Thank you," Lee said.

Neji hummed and inclined his head. Neji got to his feet and helped Lee up. Lee said nothing as Neji glanced over his shoulder to look at the mess Lee had made of Miyashiro. Lee noticed Neji frown before their eyes met.

"Lee," Neji said.

Lee had started to move towards the corpse. Lee shook his head at Neji and continued on his path. He knew he did not have to tell Neji how grateful he was when Neji followed, keeping on hand on Lee's shoulder. They made it to the dead man.

Lee looked down at the body of his first kill and stared. He had flattened Miyashiro's skull into the ground and started to form a crater under where the man's head had been. Miyashiro's chest had caved in from the force of Lee's knees hitting him. The left upper leg had gained a knee. The right shoulder had been snapped, forced inwards, and Lee stared at all of this with a little frown.

They could not bring the body back to Konoha to use as identification. Lee did not know what they could do and wondered if this meant he had made them fail the mission. Lee said nothing to Neji about this and kept staring at the corpse.

"You did the right thing," Neji said.

"I know," Lee told him.

"Hn,"

Lee kept his smile back at the non-committal response. Lee had started to recognize Neji's different mono-syllable non-word replies. Lee knew this one meant something along the lines of "Oh good, I didn't want to have to _beat_ the knowledge I imparted on you _in_ you."

Lee lifted his head when he felt Neji's hand tighten on his shoulder. They both turned as Guy-sensei and Tenten leaped into the field. Tenten looked frazzled and promptly fell onto her front when she saw they were both okay. Guy-sensei let out a long breath of relief and smiled.

The smile faded when he spotted the body in front of the two shinobi.

Guy-sensei bent towards Tenten and told her to wait in the trees a moment. She nodded wearily but went without remark. Lee kept quiet as Guy-sensei walked over with a little frown, happy Neji kept his hand on Lee's shoulder.

"Lee," Guy-sensei said.

"He threw something into Neji's eyes and told us it would make Neji blind in about twenty minutes. I could not let that happen to Neji and felt this, this, anger," Lee started but stopped.

Guy-sensei hummed and put his hand on Lee's other shoulder. Guy-sensei's other hand ended up on Neji's shoulder but Neji did not complain.

"Understood. Are you all right?" Guy-sensei asked.

Lee nodded. Guy-sensei repeated the question to Neji who gave his mono-syllable response. Guy-sensei let out a little breath and a smile came to his face. He patted both their shoulders then guided them away from the corpse.

"Go wait with Tenten while I clean this up," Guy-sensei said.

Lee did not have to be told twice. He noticed Neji followed him without argument and within moments they were standing on the same branch as Tenten. She tilted her head to one side and raised an eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest but one hand free to flick a senbon into the air and catch it expertly between two fingers.

"What happened?" Tenten questioned.

"Lee beat Miyashiro's face in," Neji said simply.

Tenten's eyebrow went up further. She caught her senbon but did not toss it back into the air again. Lee gulped and felt the need to clarify _why_ he had killed a man.

"Ah, he tried to blind Neji with this gel-stuff," Lee said.

Tenten frowned but nodded. She flicked the senbon into the air and caught it.

"Then you should've made him suffer a bit more," Tenten said.

Lee coughed to hide a laugh and caught Neji smirking. Tenten winked and they waited on the tree branch for Guy-sensei.

No one asked what he had done to get rid of the body, Lee's blood soaked bandages, and Neji's blood coated towel. They followed after Guy-sensei once he checked both Neji and Lee over for injuries and headed towards Konoha.

Lee would later recount this story to the Hokage but gloss over the words Neji had said and his actions by simply saying: "Neji helped me get up." He would use the same line with his friends when they later asked about his first kill...

"You _flattened_ his face?" Kiba questioned.

Kiba's jaw had dropped and his eyes had widened. His clawed hands dug into the table in front of him. The others were as flabbergasted. Lee nodded.

"Yes," Lee said.

"Like, flattened, flattened?" Kiba asked.

"What other kind of flattened is there?" Ino enquired.

Lee held back his smirk when Kiba shook his head as if to clear it. Shino had said nothing but Lee saw the way the bug-user had stiffened. Hinata had gone paler than normal. Shikamaru had a scowl on his face and Choji had stopped eating.

Lee's teammates sat calmly as if Lee was not capable of obliterating someone's head with a few well placed punches. Neji sipped his tea with his eyes half closed while Tenten had a little smirk on her face as she leaned back a bit in her chair, arms crossed over her chest.

"And you _hadn't_ killed anyone by this point?" Sakura posed to Tenten.

Tenten nodded. No, Tenten had not killed anyone on their second C-Rank mission. When she had taken her first kill though...

Lee shuddered at the thought of it and saw Neji frown and place his teacup down onto the table, out of his slightly trembling hands.

"So, what was your first kill like?" Ino asked.

Lee gulped and saw Neji scowl. Shikamaru, Shino, and Sakura caught the dampening of the mood. Choji, Hinata, and Kiba were next to catch on. Ino's lips parted and a flush came over her cheeks when she saw how Lee and Neji reacted. Ino paled when Tenten produced a senbon from _somewhere_ and began flicking it up into the air and catching it in her fingers.

Tenten's head had tilted downwards a bit and her eyelids had dropped. Her lips had curled into a sort of smirk, not a friendly one, and her shoulders had stiffened. Lee knew this look. It was the one Tenten gave right before she started yelling in anger and throwing sharp pointy projectiles around.

Lee did see Neji tense to run and was prepared to follow Neji out of the restaurant if Tenten decided to unleash her arsenal on Ino. There was no other move when Tenten decided to take her rage out by flinging around weapons.

They had learned this when she took her first kill.

"Um, I mean, you don't have to—" Ino tried.

"Messy," Tenten interrupted.

Lee nodded furiously in agreement and saw Neji doing the same. Tenten tossed her senbon up and caught it. She spent a few seconds twirling it around her fingers before flinging it towards the table in a blur of motion Lee hardly caught. It landed dead center of an uneaten sweet dumpling, sticking up on an angle.

Ino jumped then started giggling nervously. Tenten grinned, posture relaxing and eyes lighting happily. The others started chuckling anxiously while Lee let out a long breath. He saw Neji do the same and spotted the Hyuuga pick up his tea cup to drink.

There was an expression about saving the best for last and the _messiness_ of Tenten's first kill had definitely given new meaning to the expression. Lee decided it best not to think of Tenten's first kill. He did not want nightmares tonight.

* * *

 **Time**

Lee ran through Konoha with a grin on his face as typical. Untypical about today was the fact Lee wore a pointed party hat in bright green and had orange streamers flying from his wrists. A sash wrapped around his chest, bright orange in color with the words "Birthday Boy" written in big sparkly white block letters. He had received all his adornments from his team. They had left a small white box on his front stoop.

On this cool November 27th, Lee wanted to jump up and down in excitement. It had been a long while he had been in the Village for his birthday, a longer time since his _team_ had been in the Village for his birthday.

Okay, long while was exaggerating. They were together for his twelfth and thirteenth birthdays but not his fourteenth, fifteenth, or sixteenth birthdays. Finally on _this_ day, his seventeenth birthday they could celebrate together. Lee could not _wait_ to get to the training field.

Despite the fact he had woken at three in the morning and gotten ready within fifteen minutes, Lee was last on the field. He did not let this detour him as Guy-sensei and Tenten held up a sign which read "Happy Birthday Lee." Neji had a smirk on his face and held something behind his back.

Lee landed in front of the group with a whoop as Neji revealed a glitter cannon before blasting Lee with glitter, streamers, and confetti. Lee took it with his arms spread wide and a massive grin on his face. The wind blew at the _right_ moment and Neji got some of the blast.

Lee chuckled as Neji raised an eyebrow at the fact he now had gold and silver glitter, multicolored confetti, and green streamers coating his traditional white robes and stuck in his hair. Neji shook his head but didn't bother trying to get the bulk of the stuff out of his hair. Tenten laughed at him before putting down her sign and wrapping Lee in a hug.

Guy-sensei joined after a moment as did Neji. Lee hugged his sensei and his best friends as hard as he could. They parted after a moment and Lee chuckled as he pulled a streamer out of Neji's hair. Neji hummed but did not remark.

They settled on the grass beside two big wrapped boxes, a massive bento box for them all to share, and an envelope. Lee laughed as Tenten placed an orange party hat on Neji's head then her own. Neji said nothing and smirked when Lee shoved a green party hat on Guy-sensei's head. Guy-sensei handed him one of the wrapped boxes and Lee tore into the paper, not caring some of it landed on Neji.

Lee took up the bow, grinned, and stuck it in the middle of Neji's hitai-ate. Tenten fell over laughing, Guy-sensei gave a "Nice Guy" pose, and Neji, well he smiled softly. Lee knew Neji would not take the bow off unless it accidently fell off in training. If the bow did fall off, Neji would pout (though not admit it) until Tenten or Lee found the bow and stuck it back on his forehead.

Lee went to the box Tenten had given him and pulled it open to reveal a new medical kit, a set of kunai, and a brand new set of tonfa. Lee let out a shout before pulling Tenten into a bone-crushing hug. She let out a little squeak as he hugged her tight and she patted his back.

"Can't breathe," Tenten got out.

"Lee," Neji said.

Lee let go of Tenten as Neji's voice had gone _dangerously_ low. His eyes had narrowed as well and a little frown had come up on his face.

"Sorry, sorry, I am excited," Lee said.

Neji smiled and the tension left the area. Lee let out a breath and decided not to hug Tenten like that again lest her boyfriend, Mr. Overprotective Hyuuga attack him. It would be a good spar though.

Guy-sensei got the second bow and he too would wear it proudly until it fell off. Guy-sensei would go to his knees and cry when he noticed he lost his bow and if Neji still had his, chase the Hyuuga around the training field until he either caught Neji or Tenten and Lee found Guy-sensei's bow.

Guy-sensei had gotten Lee new leg warmers and some new body suits. Lee had been running dangerously low and thanked his sensei with a hug. Lee sat back in the circle and blinked when Neji handed him a white envelope.

Neji's gifts _always_ had some kind of meaning and were generally small enough to fit in a person's palm. Lee was not particularly surprised to see Neji's gift fit into an envelope but did have a bit of concern as the envelope in question sat flat. Surely Neji would not have gotten Lee gift certificates or money.

Tenten had started biting her lip in nervousness. Guy-sensei had become serious. Lee's smile faltered. Tenten and Guy-sensei didn't know what Neji had gotten Lee. Odd, especially since Neji and Tenten had been dating for close to two years now.

Lee opened the envelope to reveal a single sheet of paper, folded neatly in thirds. Lee looked to Neji who had his right eyebrow raised slightly and the smallest of smirks on his face. Lee knew Neji was sensitive, deep down, but Lee had no idea Neji would write some kind of poem. Lee unfolded the paper and gaped.

Neji hadn't written him a poem:

 _Hirata Yusa, 17, located at 100-8994 Fire Country, Yaesu, Chuo-ku, 1-5-3. Unwed, no suitors, works at her mother's kimono shop and is the Fire Daimyo's daughter's personal seamstress._

Neji had found Lee Yusa-chan for his birthday.

Lee did not know what to say or even how to say it. His throat had gone bone dry, his hands had started trembling, and his hands were damp. His heart had speed up as if he had been training all day and all he could do was look at the simple note Neji had given him.

"You, you, you," Lee tried.

"You are most welcome," Neji said.

Lee jumped onto Neji, making Neji fall onto his back with an 'Oof,' and hugged their most stoic teammate with all the force he could muster. Lee didn't care he had tears running down his eyes or he shouted "thank you" over and over again into Neji's ear.

"Lee, ribs, crushing," Neji got out.

Lee pulled back a bit and laughed. Neji let out a huge breath, tickling over Lee's ear, and hummed. Lee noticed Neji had wrapped his arms around Lee and lightly patted Lee's back. Lee kissed Neji's cheeks and right beside the bow on Neji's forehead. Neji narrowed his eyes and Lee knew he was pushing it, birthday or not.

Lee jumped off Neji with a grin and Neji sat up, dusting himself off. Tenten giggled at him. Guy-sensei had the paper in his hand with a grin on his face. Guy-sensei gave Lee the paper back as Neji explained what Neji had done. Lee said nothing when Tenten cooed happily at her boyfriend before wrapping an arm around Neji's shoulders and kissing his cheek. Neji smiled softly as his cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"And people say you're a cold hearted jerk," Tenten said.

"Hn," Neji muttered.

Lee laughed. It was Neji's "I know, how stupid are people?" mono-syllable sound. Lee tucked the precious piece of paper into his supply pack. The small mess was cleaned up and training began. Lee would never forget this day or Neji's kindness.

* * *

Two days after Lee had received Yusa-chan's address he and Neji took a personal trip to the city of the Fire Daimyo. They did not linger long on the sights of the marketplace or the sheer amount of finely dressed people but strode instead to a certain district in the Fire Daimyo's city. The building they looked for was a mere block away from the castle and Lee gaped in awe.

"I should approach first and set up a meeting with her," Neji said.

"But—" Lee started.

"You told me once her mother did not approve of her seeing a shinobi. Her mother will change her mind if it is a _Hyuuga_ shinobi," Neji said.

Lee blinked then nodded. Neji patted Lee's shoulder and Lee took a moment to hide around the corner of the building across the street from Yusa-chan's home and shop. Neji approached and strode into the shop without pause. Lee bit his lip as Neji disappeared from the view of the big wide windows.

Minutes passed but it felt like days to Lee. He began fidgeting on the spot and gnawing at his lips. His hands clenched and unclenched on the brick of the building he hid behind and Lee wanted to do _something_ besides waiting.

Waiting on missions had always been easy but this, this wasn't a mission. Lee hadn't seen Yusa-chan in eight years but thought about her in his downtime. Sure Lee had a crush on both Sakura and Tenten but those were _nothing_ compared to the feelings he remembered having about Yusa-chan.

Neji came out of the shop and Lee gaped. Neji's expression was emotionless, lips in a neutral line, elegant eyebrows smoothed completely, and eyes at their normal wideness. Lee kept bouncing and almost knocked Neji over when he came around the corner. Neji huffed as Lee shoved him against the building in excitement.

"Well? Well? Where will we meet? Has she changed much from what you remember? Is her mother there? Did they seem suspicious?"

Lee wanted to ask more questions but Neji put a hand over Lee's mouth. Lee stared into Neji's eyes as a slow smile came over Neji's face.

"You will meet tonight at eighteen hundred hours, under a bench with the only yellow cherry blossom tree in this village. Obviously she has changed much, Lee. Gods, you grew a foot, cut your hair and are a chunin now. Yes her mother is there, older now but not ailing which is somewhat unfortunate for you.

"No, they did not seem suspicious, in fact, her mother seemed exceptionally happy. I did not use my real first name so in case word does get out about Yusa-chan dating a Hyuuga no one will suspect it is me. Now, let me go,"

Neji dusted off his shoulders when Lee did as he was told. Lee fist-pumped with a shout and grabbed Neji's shoulders again. Neji hummed in annoyance but Lee didn't care. He had to prepare for meeting Yusa-chan tonight and Neji was going to help him.

Lee tried not to fiddle with anything as he hid behind the rows of cherry blossoms in the park. The single yellow blossom stood five yards away and under it was a white bench. Lee wore his regular green spandex body suit, orange leg warms, green standard issue vest zipped up, his hitai-ate around his waist, and the bandages around his arms. His bowl cut had been brushed till it glowed and he had brushed his teeth for ten minutes.

Neji stood beside Lee with Byakugan activated, watching for the moment Yusa-chan would appear. Lee held a single daisy in one hand as well as Yusa-chan's old handkerchief. These items would likely be the only way Yusa-chan recognized him.

Lee inhaled sharply when Neji placed a hand on his shoulder and pointed to a woman walking towards the bench. The woman, young, stood a little over five feet in height and walked with a barely there limp. Her hair _glowed_ in the setting sun, red-blond as Lee had remembered it.

She had left her hair free to wave gently along her back until it ended near the middle in a mass of silk the kimono she wore could not compete against. A jade hair comb kept it back from her face, highlighted with little pearls, and stuck at the back of her head to pull back two bits at her temples.

She wore a gorgeous silk kimono made of pale green with darker green blossoms decorating it. The obi to tie it closed was so dark a green it looked almost black and the bow at her lower back was massive. She also carried a green parasol, open, and over her left shoulder.

"Lee?"

"She's so beautiful,"

"Hn,"

This was Neji's amused sound. Lee could not take his eyes from Yusa-chan. She had filled out _wonderfully_ over the years: wide hips, a large bosom, and a petite waist, similar in shape to Hinata. She had also learned how to disguise the fact her right leg was shorter by three inches and walked as gracefully as any woman.

Lee watched her sit on the bench. He could not move. His heart beat too quickly and every muscle had turned to stone. He had no saliva in his mouth, it felt like he had swallowed all the sand in Suna, and he couldn't remember how to breathe.

"Go you idiot,"

Lee face planted when Neji pushed him. Lee heard Neji scoff and felt the sensation of flying when Neji pulled Lee to his feet. He met Neji's white eyes a moment later as Neji dusted him off, turned him around, and pushed Lee towards the bench. Lee didn't fall this time.

He turned the fall into a sort of stiff kneed jog and almost tripped when he got to the cement sidewalk as it did rise a bit in a sort of barrier in front of the grass. Lee caught himself before looking too stupid and took a deep breath before approaching the bench.

Yusa-chan heard the noise and looked up. Lee met her green eyes and became lost in the depths of her gaze. Her eyes were jade, like Sakura's but had blue hints. Her lashes were thick, full, and her eyebrows were slender and elegant (kind of like Neji's but Lee would _never_ tell either this), while her lips were plump, heart-shaped, and colored light pink.

Lee thrust the daisy towards her and she gasped. She blinked in wonder then yelped softly as Lee pushed the handkerchief towards her with his other hand. Yusa-chan stared up at him and Lee knew he had to say _something_.

"Yusa-chan, you, me, ah, swings, er, Konoha, um, Lee, me, I am Lee,"

Lee could _hear_ the slight smack of Neji's hand hitting his hitai-ate as well as the sound of a crow cawing in mocking. Time stilled as Yusa-chan met his eyes with her lips parted and her eyes wide. Lee heard ringing in his ears and remembered breathing was important. He took a deep breath and tried to let it out slowly but it didn't work.

His breath blew back Yusa-chan's bangs and she kept _staring_ at him in stunned silence. Lee kept holding up the daisy and her old handkerchief. _This_ waiting was much more difficult.

Lee yelped when Yusa-chan dropped her parasol and crushed her body against his, laughing in his ear, and clutching the back of his vest in her tiny fingers as hard as she could. Lee grinned and wrapped his arms around her slender body.

"Lee-san!"

"Yusa-chan!"

Lee did fall over when she kissed him, _hard._ He didn't mind _at all_ and had no issue pressing his lips against hers as she kissed him with youthful vigor. Her delicate hands had wrapped in his hair and her legs had ended up over one of his as she kissed him with more passion than Lee thought possible. He did not mind.

He did mind when he heard a throat clearing near him and a little "hn" of amusement. Lee opened eyes he didn't remember closing to see Neji standing over them with a little smirk on his face and one eyebrow raised. Yusa-chan gaped.

"Ah, Hyuuga-sama, ah," Yusa-chan tried.

"I am Lee's friend and set up this meeting so the two of you could get together. Though I did not expect you to get _together_ so quickly," Neji said smoothly.

Yusa-chan stared at Neji for several seconds before turning a lovely shade of pink. Lee beamed at her as she giggled in relief and kissed Lee's forehead. She yelped then laughed when Lee stood up with her in his arms. Her eyes had gone wide and a _sly_ smile spread across her face. She squeezed his biceps.

"My, my, Lee-san, you have certainly filled out," Yusa-chan said.

Another cough and an _embarrassed_ "hn" from Neji. Lee decided to ignore his teammate and kissed Yusa-chan on the cheek.

"As have you my precious flower," Lee said.

She laughed and kissed him firmly on the lips. Lee had no issues in obliging her. She could ask him to run around the Fire Country a million times and he would do it. Lee knew now what Neji and Tenten had. He had it thanks to Neji and had no idea how to repay the man.

* * *

Lee trudged towards his destination with his shoulders low, a frown on his face, and without the youthful dynamism he normally employed. The Fourth Shinobi war had ended three months ago and while Lee and many of his friends had survived, the _one person_ who made Lee the happiest he could be had not.

Neji was dead.

Neji, the man who had brought Yusa into Lee's life and made them both blissful in their youth. Neji, who arranged meetings between Yusa and Lee so Yusa's mother would not find out about their relationship. Neji, who had promised to be Lee's best man at his wedding while Lee promised the same to Neji.

There was nothing fair in Neji's fate and had never been.

Lee should have expected something horrible to happen to his three-man cell. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji had lost their sensei as had Hinata, Kiba, and Shino: one in death and one retired to raise the child of the dead sensei. Team Seven, well this was one cluster of issues no one even bothered to touch.

Team Guy had always come through on top. They had their sensei, they had their power, their unity, their youth, and everything which would make them continue on for years. Now? They were down a member and for good.

Lee shook his head, sending rain droplets flying around in a spray. He continued to move forward, past the benches, past the single yellow cherry blossom tree, and into the village proper. Lee lifted his head after his feet had traveled the path he remembered well. He sighed and knocked on the door in front of him.

Lee heard footsteps and waited. The sound of a lock coming off the door came and Lee was greeted with the sight of Yusa, dressed in a simple white robe tied loosely around her waist, shining hair damp and loose around her head, and skin pink from the heat of a bath.

"Lee, you are soaked," Yusa said.

Lee nodded and walked into the home she led him in. He made it two steps in before collapsing onto her shoulder and breaking into sobs. Yusa hushed him softly, rubbing his back, and holding him close. She guided him into the home and sat him on the couch, still humming and rocking him gently.

She did not let him go until he lifted his head and looked into her green eyes. Yusa brushed hair off his forehead softly, hand running along the side of his face to come to rest on his cheek. Her other hand was on his shoulder, rubbing gently back and forth to calm him.

"Neji died in the war," Lee said.

Yusa let out a little breath and nodded. Tears had come to her eyes but she did not cry. Neji had been their escort of sorts for months, always keeping a look out in case Yusa's mother arrived unannounced at their private meeting spots. When Yusa's mother _did_ start coming towards them, Neji would tell them and take over in sitting beside Yusa, chatting as if they had been at it for hours.

"Oh Lee," Yusa said.

She pulled him close and somehow Lee's face ended up in her chest. She didn't seem to care but Lee felt heat come to his cheeks as he saw a lot more _flesh_ than he had expected to see tonight. He gulped.

Her breasts were soft yet firm and plump under his cheek. From this angle he could see one of her dark nipples perked up from the cold. Lee swallowed with difficulty and wanted to reach up to close her bathrobe. His hands were busy holding her waist.

It took Lee several more seconds to notice Yusa had begun to pet the back of his head, still humming and trying to comfort him. Her other hand had migrated _low_ to rest beyond his vest and the knot of his hitai-ate, on the curve of the top of his buttocks. Lee inhaled hard, almost choking on his spit, but managing not to cough.

"It will be okay," Yusa said.

Lee nodded before he realized the motion would disturb her all ready slack robe. Lee gaped as more of her breast came to his view. She did not seem to notice or if she did then she didn't care. She kept stroking the back of his head while her other hand lay softly on his butt. Lee wanted to say _something_ but could not figure out what.

"Ah, robe, er, undone, ah," Lee got out.

The ghost of the sound of Neji smacking his hand against his hitai-ate came to Lee's ears. Lee almost started laughing and crying at the same time but Yusa had shifted backwards out of Lee's grip. Instead of pulling her robe tightly around her body, Yusa _undid_ her robe and let the shoulders of it slip down her arms to pool at her waist.

"Ah, ah, wow," Lee muttered.

Yusa giggled. Lee wanted to touch and tried not to think of how he had raised his hands to hover in front of her breasts. He was making a grabbing motion with his hands which made Yusa smile. She shifted forward and Lee took her breasts in his hands.

Lee stared at his hands on her breasts, palms covering her nipples, and wished he could close his mouth. Somewhere above him Lee knew Neji was laughing. Lee grinned at the thought and squeezed.

"Ah, Lee," Yusa gasped.

Lee winced.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No, that felt amazing! Again, please,"

Lee obliged and smiled when Yusa moaned low and arched into him. The issue Lee did have was his bandages prevented him from feeling her breasts in full. He pulled his hands back (Yusa pouted) and began unravelling the bandages around both his arms. He noticed Yusa watching with amusement but tossed away both sets before undoing his vest, throwing it back, and taking off the hitai-ate around his waist.

Yusa's eyes dropped to his groin and she smiled. Lee followed her gaze and blinked at his _obvious_ interest in their evening. Ah well. He could not exactly hide anything when wearing spandex.

Yusa grabbed at him through his spandex and Lee yelped but pulled her close. She chuckled softly in his ear and began to rub. Lee shifted and his leg warmers and sandals ended up on the floor. It took him seconds to pull down the zipper on the back of his body suit and the moment he did, Yusa's hands took the open edges and tugged the suit down until it gathered at his waist.

They kissed. Lee ran his hands up and down Yusa's sides and she shivered against him, pushing her hips into his firmly. Lee cupped her breasts in his hands again as she ran her hands up and down his chest. She flitted her fingers over his stomach before tugging on the spandex in his lap. Lee shifted and his body suit joined the rest of his clothing on the floor.

Lee made short work of her bathrobe and she gasped into his mouth before spreading her legs. Lee paused when she wrapped her legs around his waist and thrust up into him. He had almost entered her.

"Yusa," Lee said.

"Lee," Yusa murmured.

"Ah," Lee tried.

She smiled at him before meeting his lips and running her hands up and down his back. Lee jolted when she squeezed his buttocks in her hands. He shuddered when she felt him from behind, petite fingers caressing his sack. Lee gulped and shifted them until they were lying flush against the couch, Yusa caught under him.

"Ah, wait," Yusa said.

"Um?"

Lee blinked as she pushed against his shoulders to get him to sit up. He did and he watched in confusion as she left the room (naked) and went down the hallway. Lee shook his head to clear it from seeing the way her buttocks moved while she walked away. He heard rustling and sat on the couch quietly as she did whatever it was she needed to do.

Yusa came back out of the hallway and Lee smiled as he watched her breasts bouncing as she strode towards him. She carried a little square of plastic which she ripped open using her teeth. Lee's jaw dropped when she unravelled a condom over his hardened member. He did not get to ask if she was certain about this as she straddled his legs and _dropped_ onto his lap, impaling herself on him.

"Ah!"

"Ah, are you,"

"I'm fine, Lee,"

"Oh, ah, oh, wow,"

Lee held her waist as she giggled against him. Their lips met and Lee wrapped one arm around her waist as the other went up to clutch at her breast. Yusa's hands tangled in his hair as she began to move her hips against him.

Lee had no words to describe the wondrous sensations he felt. Now he understood why all his friends made such a big deal about sex. It was amazing.

Lee lost himself in the sensation of Yusa moving against him, encasing him in the kind of warmth he had never felt. He drifted in the taste of her tongue in his mouth and the tender tugs she gave his hair as she moved. He became entranced at the feel of her breast in his hand and the silken locks of her hair when he raised his other hand to hold her head.

White erupted across his vision and Lee trembled against Yusa as she called out his name and arched hard into him. She fell against him, panting, and Lee held her close while taking enourmous breaths.

He felt as if he had trained all day and all night for a week and his muscles hummed with heat. His head was fuzzy as if he had woken up and his limps trembled similar to the way he felt after fighting. Yusa's breath against his ear tickled but he would never tell her to move. Her hands kept clenching and unclenching on his shoulders as she trembled.

"Don't ever leave me," Yusa said.

"I promise," Lee told her.

"Good. I will tell my mother about us in the morning when she returns,"

Yusa met his eyes and all he could do was stare at her. She wanted to tell her mother. She couldn't. Neji had told him before the war if Yusa ever did anything to displease her mother than she would be out in the streets, disowned. Lee did not have a home in Konoha to bring Yusa to and besides, she did not deserve giving up her life for him.

"No," Lee said.

Yusa sat back at him with her eyes widening and her jaw dropping.

"She will disown you and I have no home since Konoha has been destroyed. You deserve more than what I can offer at this moment," Lee said.

Yusa blinked then nodded. She kissed him again and they relaxed against each other. Lee let out a long breath as Yusa fell asleep on his shoulder. He moved when the sun started to come up and carried her to her room, dressing her in a nightgown and tucking her under her covers. Lee took off the used condom and tossed it into the can near her bed.

He dressed in record time and locked the door before leaving through a window. Lee took to the roof tops with a smile on his face. Soon, he would bring Yusa away from her mother and into Konoha where she could live with him happily. He would miss not having Neji as his best man when they married. He would regret not thanking Neji appropriately for finding Yusa in the first place.

Lee looked to the skies and stopped as a single white feather floated towards him. Lee caught the feather in his hand and found it difficult to stop his tears. Neji understood. He always had.

* * *

I adore, Lee, really. Reviews welcome. Remember, there are two more chapters for this: one for Guy and one for Tenten. Who will be next? You'll see next week-ish. ;)


	3. Might Guy

**Might Guy**

 **Author's notes:** Ha, thought it was going to be Tenten didn't you? Nope, Guy first because I figure everyone's waiting for Tenten's feelings about being with Neji for her first time. Either that or since it's all ready figured out one of her firsts it's kind of meh.

Again expanding on "Twenty Truths about Team Guy," no you don't have to read that before reading this, but it would be advisable to read Neji and Lee's firsts before Guy's. I mean you don't _have_ to as it would make sense anyway but yeah...chronological ordering and all that.

Also, sorry this took a bit longer than normal to update. I was stuck on Guy's kill and just wrote it today.

 **General Warnings:** made up time lines, possible OOC-ness, swearing, and on screen kissing and sex. Onwards!

* * *

 **Hug**

Guy could not remember his first hug. This is not because he has a bad memory, not really. He remembers most of what happened to him in his life despite his goal to not linger in the past. He's horrible with faces and names though. All you have to do is ask Lee, Neji, and Tenten. They'll tell you Guy didn't really have their names down until after a _month._

He got Lee's name within two days since Lee's name was simple. Tenten's name stuck second, after a week, because her name was the same syllable twice. Neji, well, he was called Neho, Nana, Nori, Nobu, Naoki, Nao, and Norio before Neji finally gave up and came to training with a sign across his chest with his name on it in week three.

He still had to wear the sign for a week until Guy could remember to call him Neji. Even after six months of training (and longer) Guy would sometimes slip up and call Neji by a different name. Nao, Nobu, and Neho seemed to be favorites. Neji learned to go with it.

No, Guy could not remember his first hug because he had been too young at the time. His father, Might Duy was an affection man and liked to hug his son a lot. This is why Guy likes to give hugs and receive them.

There was a period in time after Duy died where Guy did not receive any hugs, at least not willingly. Normally he would track down his Eternal Rival Hatake Kakashi and hug the other boy until Kakashi smacked him. Nowadays Kakashi takes it with a little smile, shown only by the crinkling of his eyes.

No, the hug Guy will always remember is the hug he and Neji shared. Tenten and Lee did not know about the hugs Guy and Neji shared as Neji always made sure the two were gone from the field before asking for a hug in his way. Neji also made sure to never show how happy he was when Lee and Tenten pulled him in for a hug with Guy and always complained with a grunt or an "hn" of annoyance.

But Guy knew how much Neji liked being hugged. He might sometimes forget Neji's name but he would never forget the little smiles Neji gave him after a hug or the way Neji would completely relax into his arms and give a little sigh of happiness.

Guy would also never forget Neji was not allowed to show emotions because of his clan. Neji had to remain prim and proper but most of the time he dumped this attitude when he was on the training field and it was only Lee, Guy, and Tenten.

Funnily enough, the hug Guy considered the most significant one in his life was not even the first time he hugged Neji. That one ranked pretty high on his hug meter as did the first hug he had with Lee after Lee had tried to quit on him. The first solo hug he shared with Tenten was up on his list too but the hug Guy felt was the most significant was the _second_ hug he and Neji shared...

"Take this!"

Guy watched with a grin on his face as Tenten unloaded dozens of weapons towards Neji from her position ten feet in the air. Neji's expression did not change: lips in a little frown of concentration, eyebrows slightly furrowed, eyes wide with Byakugan activated, and body tense in his fighting position.

His hands lashed out with speed even Guy would have trouble mimicking. Neji deflected weapon after weapon, senbon, kunai, shuriken, and many others Guy thought were darned impressive for a girl of Tenten's age to have mastery of.

All forty-eight or so weapons landed harmlessly around Neji in a sort of circle and he watched as Tenten landed with a soft thunk. She had only ever gotten one hit on him thus far and that was last week when she had thrown a kunai into his blind spot.

She did not throw weapons into his blind spot again, even if it would mean she might win a battle against Neji.

Guy loved her for this. He adored Neji for admitting the Byakugan's weakness even though the teen likely knew he wasn't supposed to say a word about it. Guy also prized his students in their willingness to keep training even if he pushed them to fainting.

They were all stubbornly determined, like him. Lee's persistence was exactly like him in too many respects which always made Guy wonder if Lee was an estranged child. Tenten rose to any challenge with the kind of resolve seen in a person who loathed losing. Neji had the sort of fortitude in a person who no longer wanted to fail.

Neji had said so last week when Guy got to hug his stoic student for the first time _ever._ It had taken his precious genius over a _year_ to finally cave into a hug. Guy didn't mind. The Hyuuga were not the type of people to show any kind of affection. The fact Neji _had_ some semblance of emotions was remarkable enough.

"Damn it!"

Guy brought himself back into the moment as Tenten had run out of projectiles to throw. She went after Neji with her trusty Bo but Neji did not back down. No, he simply raised his arms and legs and kept defending. Watching the two spar was similar to watching a carefully coordinated dance in hyper-speed.

Neji had the flexibility of a cat and would shift in ways Lee could not mimic as of this moment. He would start working on it once he was out of the hospital though. Lee had promised Neji as such when they visited last night.

As it was Neji had done the splits to avoid a hit to his head. Tenten jabbed the end of her Bo towards his face but he tilted his head to a side. Guy grinned when Tenten kept jabbing at Neji's face, faster and faster but Neji kept shifting his head back and forth out of the way until he seemed to get tired of it. Either this or he got whiplash from moving his head so quickly. Guy figured it had been a combination of both.

Neji caught Tenten's Bo between his hands and flicked it aside before rolling onto his feet, out of the way of her next strike and using his hands in a sort of hand stand motion. Tenten kept jabbing her Bo at him but he flicked it away with the circular motion of his hands, wide arcs which made Tenten growl in frustration as she kept jabbing.

He caught her Bo again, under his right arm and his left hand snaked out to ram into a few of her tenketsu points. Tenten winced but her right leg came up to kick Neji in the knee cap. He _shifted_ out of the way by perhaps half an inch and Tenten's heel skimmed by his uncovered leg. Guy smirked.

Neji's _tiny_ shifts in his stances to avoid a person were frustrating. What would be a powerful hit became nothing but a graze which allowed Neji to keep moving and made his opponent angry at best; fall forward with their momentum at worse which was _exactly_ what happened to Tenten now.

She yelped as her well intentioned kick made her not only miss Neji's knee but fall towards his chest and shove her Bo further under his arm in a useless position. She fell against Neji's chest and he tapped the back of her neck, signalling he could kill her right now if he wanted. She huffed but nodded, and Neji let her go.

"Jeez," Tenten muttered.

Neji shrugged and she made to whack him in the arm with her Bo. Guy chuckled when Neji let her. The two would make such an adorable couple when they finally realized they were meant to be together. Guy strode towards them and noticed Tenten's cheeks had colored slightly when she realized Neji had allowed her to hit him.

"Wonderful, both of you!" Guy told them. "We will call it a day with this. There are a lot of weapons to gather."

Guy rubbed the back of his head with his last proclamation. Neji smirked and Tenten went a bit redder. Guy did not remember Tenten having so many weapons but challenged his students to a contest to see who could gather the most the quickest.

Guy didn't mind when they let him win and placed all the sharp pointy objects into a pile so Tenten could replace them into her scrolls. She frowned when she reached the end then looked up to Neji.

Guy noticed Neji staring off into the distance, arms crossed over his chest, and Byakugan activated. Guy followed Neji's line of sight and if he concentrated hard enough Guy could see the birds Neji watched.

"Neji, I'm missing a kunai," Tenten said.

Guy looked at his female student and blinked. He had _no clue_ how she knew if she was missing or weapon or how she knew _which_ of her weapons she missed. Guy watched as Neji glanced down to Tenten with a raised eyebrow.

"Hn,"

This was Neji's "fine, fine, I'll look for it" sound. Guy had become adept at reading Neji's so-called non-committal sounds. The boy said a lot with one noise. A person had to listen carefully or they would miss the meaning.

"Ten yards away embedded in one of your ground targets, number eleven," Neji said.

"Jeez, how did it get so far?" Tenten questioned.

"You are the one who threw it, not me," Neji told her.

She _almost_ took him off his feet with her Bo and Guy chuckled. Neji hummed at her but strode away to retrieve the kunai. Tenten snorted at him and made her Bo disappear. She got to her feet and Guy placed a hand on her shoulder. She beamed up at him and together they watched Neji retrieve Tenten's kunai.

As the weapon had hit a ground target, Neji had to bend to get it. Guy saw the way Tenten stared at Neji's butt and the way Neji's shorts rode up a bit at the back to expose some of Neji's upper thighs. Tenten flushed but Guy decided not to mention it.

Neji tugged the kunai out of the target, stumbling back when he did, and Guy chuckled at Neji's annoyed expression. He walked back over to them with his expression set to neutral and handed Tenten her kunai. She took it with a grin which _almost_ hid her blush at the way their fingertips had brushed. Guy patted Neji's shoulder and Neji made his sound of thanks.

"Same time tomorrow my brilliant students," Guy said.

"Okay, bye Neji, bye Guy-sensei! Have a good night!"

Tenten jogged away, looking completely innocent despite the kunai she carried in her right hand. Guy nodded to Neji who returned the gesture but did not move. Guy hummed at Neji in question but Neji did not even incline his head to meet Guy's eyes.

Even after a year, Guy did not fully understand Neji's emotions or some of Neji's stances. As it was, the boy simply stood in the spot he had stopped at with his arms crossed over his chest, his legs shoulder width apart, face neutral, staring straight ahead, and a gentle breeze blowing back all that soft, pretty long hair. He did not blink and Guy tried not to admit to himself how creepy Neji could be sometimes.

Guy left Neji where he stood and went to a different area of the field. Guy began fighting invisible enemies as Neji did, well, whatever it was Neji did. Eventually Neji would leave the field and Guy would not question the boy on why he had stayed the extra few minutes. Guy continued to go through his personal training regime until he felt it.

Neji watched him.

When a non-Hyuuga watched a person the gaze could be easily forgotten unless said person had the kind of murderous intent coming from an angry shinobi. Then the gaze was not ignored and it meant a good challenge would be appearing soon.

When a Hyuuga gazed at a person the stare could not be disregarded. Even from a distance of ten or so yards Neji's white eyes gave the sort of intensity most shinobi trained in torture could not pull off as effortlessly as Neji could. The boy didn't even have to try.

As a result Guy had almost lost his footing upon feeling the look. He caught himself though and kept moving, shifting slightly so he could look at Neji every so often, at least out of the corner of his eyes.

Neji had moved enough so he could watch Guy. Neji's expression still remained neutral, his arms were crossed over his chest, and his feet were shoulder-width apart. The wind now blew Neji's long hair to the right, making it flow around Neji's head in a beautiful kind of delicate swirl.

Guy kept training as Neji kept peering at him. Guy hated to admit the scrutiny of his student had become off putting, especially since Neji had only turned thirteen before the chunin exams. Then again Neji had beaten an S-Rank shinobi a little over a month ago. If Guy could talk to Kidomaru now, the freak would probably tell Guy how eerie Neji's eyes were.

If Neji ever asked Guy about the white eyes, Guy would likely _not_ tell him how sinister Neji could look. Normally the boy had a sort of soft look about him, especially now he had resolved to become friends with his team. Even so, when Neji felt like being frightening it did not take much.

Finally Guy could not take anymore. The sun had begun to set and Neji's observing him so intently had started to give Guy chills which had nothing to do with the weather. Guy stopped moving and looked towards Neji.

Neji had not moved even after almost three hours. Certainly the boy would be hungry, thirsty, or need to use the bathroom. No, this was Neji. The boy never complained about his body's baser needs off or on the field or during a mission. Neji took his shinobi training seriously and whatever conclusion Neji had reached in his head about why he stood watching Guy would be carried out like some kind of mini-mission.

Guy let out a little breath but put a smile on his face as he approached Neji. Guy had no clue as to what Neji needed or wanted. Neji didn't _ask_ for anything, not directly. He would indicate his displeasure in something with an annoyed little sound, a widening of his eyes, and a narrowing of his eyebrows.

Most people narrowed their eyes but Neji knew what impact his white pupil-less eyes had a person and would thus intensify his gaze when angered by widening the freaky white eyes. Guy got to Neji and stood in front of him but kept twelve inches between them.

Guy did not know _what_ to expect but Neji muttering a soft "finally" and wrapping his arms around Guy was not something in Guy's reactions for Neji. Guy gaped as Neji placed his head on Guy's chest, Neji's arms tightening almost shyly around Guy's middle back.

Neji had wanted a hug.

Of course the Hyuuga Genius would not _ask_ for something like a hug. His clan did not practice hugging nor would they have told him wanting something so childish in their eyes would be okay. Guy wanted to kick himself for not thinking of this sooner but grinned when Neji let out a little sigh of happiness.

Guy wrapped his arms around Neji and pulled him closer as tight as he could. He almost started crying with joy when Neji tightening his grip and burrowed his head into Guy's vest. Guy rocked Neji back and forth gently but Neji did not complain nor did he loosen his grip.

"Neji, you can ask me if you want a hug. I will not report to your family or tell anyone," Guy said.

"I was asking you," Neji mumbled.

Guy blinked and smiled. Of _course_ Neji had been asking him. Guy hadn't seen Neji waiting in the training field for what it was. Guy chuckled and placed his right hand on the back of Neji's head, stroking the boy's long hair gently.

"Of course you were. I was being slow," Guy said.

"It's okay," Neji said into Guy's chest.

Guy beamed in happiness as Neji cuddled against him. Neji's body had relaxed against Guy's as Guy petted Neji's hair and held the boy close. Guy said nothing as Neji continued to hug him. Neji had a lot of years to make up for without being hugged. Hell, Guy would stand here all night if Neji wanted.

After what Guy knew was half an hour Neji struggled lightly. Guy hummed but allowed Neji to take half a step back and out of Guy's arms. Guy did put both his hands onto Neji's shoulders. Neji had lowered his head and his hands had become fists.

"This is not a weakness," Guy said.

Neji looked up at him and Guy met Neji's eyes. So much emotion in the so-called soulless eyes and Guy placed a hand on Neji's head gently. Neji blinked.

"It means you have a _soul_ and you are human. It is important to keep your humanity in our line of work," Guy said.

Neji _smiled_ and not one the tiny shifts of the corners of his mouth kind of smiles. No, this one broke across his face and lit those white eyes with such joy Guy couldn't help but hug Neji again. Neji hummed but wrapped his arms around Guy anyway.

This hug lasted all of thirty seconds before Neji wanted out. Guy didn't mind and placed his hand back atop Neji's head, giving the boy short little pets to his head which kept a small smile on Neji's lips. Guy's other hand stayed on Neji's shoulder and Guy was happy to see Neji's hands were no longer in fists.

"The next time you stand in the middle of the field after your teammates have gone home, I will recognize you want a hug," Guy said.

Neji chuckled, a sweet sound without all the arrogance, and nodded. Guy wanted to hug him again but refrained. Their eyes met and Guy kept his hand on Neji's head. Neji let out a little breath before turning elegantly and striding away.

Guy watched Neji walk away and kept the smile on his face. It had not been as emotional as Neji's first hug but it was more significant simply because Neji had _asked_ for it, in his own way. Guy wiped a tear from his eye and kept grinning. His team would always be human.

* * *

 **Kiss**

Guy had known this would be a riveting game for his team to play. Tenten wore a dress, something they had _never_ seen the girl in and looked adorable. Guy did not miss the fact it also looked _weird_ to see the tom boyish girl in a dress and would be happy when she could return to her regular attire.

Seeing Neji in the green body suit made Guy want to hug the Hyuuga close. Neji looked so damned powerful in the green spandex! Guy had missed how muscled Neji had become over the year and a bit of training but could see now Neji was no longer the skinny twelve year old kid.

The green spandex gave the Hyuuga white eyes a jade tint which made the eyes less intimidating. Guy would not tell Neji this unless the boy asked. Neji had all ready told them he hated the color of his eyes.

Lee looked fabulous with the marker all over his face and Guy felt like the beautiful beast he was with Tenten's bows in his hair. They had finished running from Tenten's weapons after she became angry from them making sure no one took her first kiss unless the man met Guy, Neji, and Lee's standards.

"Whose turn was it?" Tenten asked.

"I believe it is yours. I asked Lee about his first kiss, he asked you and now you get to ask or dare Guy-sensei to do something," Neji replied.

Tenten nodded then met eyes with him. Guy beamed and she giggled. Neji smirked and Lee gave a thumb up.

"Truth or dare, Guy-sensei?" Tenten questioned.

"Truth," Guy said.

He might as well give them a chance to ask about his first kiss. They knew about Neji's by seeing it happen in front of them and Lee had told his story. Tenten had not blossomed to this level yet (which made Guy oddly happy) so by all rights they should learn of his tale.

"Who was your first kiss?" Tenten enquired.

Guy grinned. Ah the curiosities of Youth. Guy nodded to Tenten and launched into his story...

He had been a hot-blooded youth of thirteen, chunin for two years, and was about to challenge his Eternal Rival Hatake Kakashi in one of their Competitions of Youth.

He was having an issue with the whole challenging Kakashi concept.

"My Eternal Rival! Where are you?"

No one paid him much attention as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop in search of the silver haired jonin. Guy tried not to think about how Kakashi at the age of twelve was all ready a jonin. There were rumours ANBU was interested in Kakashi and Guy refused to believe them. If the rumors were true then Kakashi would be the youngest ANBU operative in Konoha history.

"Kakashi!"

Normally if Kakashi was not enjoying ramen at Ichiraku's he would be in his favorite training field. Guy had checked both but not yet found his Eternal Rival. Pity as Guy had the perfect challenge for Kakashi today.

"Guy?"

Guy skidded to a stop on the roof he was on and looked down. Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai stared up at him and Guy grinned. He leaped down from the roof top and made a few civilians jump at his sudden appearance.

"My friends! Have you seen Kakashi?" Guy questioned.

Asuma blinked but Kurenai smiled at him. She shook her head which made him deflate but chuckled.

"We haven't seen him but we heard that Jiraiya is in town. Maybe you'll find them together," Kurenai said.

Guy beamed and thanked her happily before taking to the roofs again. He glanced back to see Asuma smile at Kurenai while she began striding forward on their walk. Guy wondered if he should make them kiss so they did not lose the precious time of their youth skirting around the issue of embarrassment.

This would have to be tackled another day for Guy had a rival to find.

There were few places Jiraiya would go in Konoha: the book store, the bathhouse, a few bars, and of course Ichiraku Ramen. Guy shifted his direction to head towards the bathhouse, knowing for sure this would be the most likely place Jiraiya would be.

As he suspected, Jiraiya sat outside the bathhouses trying to look into the women's baths. Guy huffed but landed behind the man anyway. Kakashi was nowhere in sight.

"Jiraiya-sama," Guy said.

Jiraiya shrieked but turned. His face went beat red and he began waving and explain he was doing some kind of research for his second novel. Guy did not bother asking what kind of research involved naked women. He would confront this challenge a different day.

"Have you seen Kakashi?" Guy questioned, breaking into Jiraiya's rant.

"Kakashi? Uh, yeah about an hour ago but he took off because he was bored. How a man can be _bored_ doing this kind of research is beyond me," Jiraiya said.

Guy decided it best not to ask.

"Did he say where he was going?" Guy questioned.

Jiraiya shook his head. Guy hummed but thanked the man anyway before taking off. Now Kakashi could be _anywhere._ Guy did not let this detour him and kept leaping through the village. He saw Minato walking with Kushina but did not spot Kakashi anywhere near the Fourth Hokage and his wife. Guy did drop down in front of the two. Both smiled at him.

"Kakashi?" Minato asked.

Guy nodded. Minato shook his head as Kushina giggled.

"Sorry, I haven't seen him all day. I do know Jiraiya's in town," Minato said.

"Ah, thank you Hokage-sama but I all ready checked with Jiraiya-sama. Kakashi left him an hour ago," Guy said.

Minato hummed but patted Guy's shoulder.

"Sorry, I don't know what to tell you but I'm sure you'll find him," Minato said.

Guy gave Minato and Kushina the Nice Guy pose. Both beamed right back and Guy thanked them before taking off with renewed vigor. Surely if the Hokage said Guy would find Kakashi then Guy would find Kakashi.

The sun began to set with how long Guy ran through the village but he did not lose heart. He did start suspecting Kakashi saw him coming and kept dodging him but had no one to voice these opinions to. Guy spotted a flash of silver and ran towards it.

"Kakashi!"

Guy grinned when he landed in front of his stilled Eternal Rival. Kakashi still wore the mask, the standard issue shinobi attire and his hitai-ate tilted to cover the left eye, the Sharingan he had received from Obito not so long ago.

"Guy," Kakashi said.

"My Eternal Rival! I challenge you to a duel! But first: where have you been all day?" Guy asked.

Kakashi blinked.

"Here," Kakashi said.

Guy fell over. Here was the middle of a clearing between two training fields. Guy got to his feet with a laugh and repeated his challenge. Kakashi shrugged.

"Whatever," Kakashi said.

"So calm, cool, and collected, My Eternal Rival! I challenge you to one thousand hand stand push ups! Whoever does them the fastest will win!"

Guy kept pointing. Kakashi blinked again. He let out a breath then _smiled._

"A challenge that actually makes sense. You're on," Kakashi said.

Guy gave Kakashi the Nice Guy pose and Kakashi chuckled. They got into position and started. Guy was so focused on completing his push-ups as quickly as possible he did not notice Kakashi was not only doing the push-ups but staring at Guy in awe. Unbeknownst to Guy, Kakashi had a feeling he might actually _lose_ this challenge.

Kakashi sped up. At the same time he turned his head. Unfortunately for Kakashi, his body was not used to having one eye covered and Kakashi got a bit of a dizzy spell as he lowered his body and turned his head at the same time. Kakashi went cross-eyed (not that anyone would have been able to tell) and fell over.

As fate would have it, Kakashi fell right into Guy who had completely ignored his Eternal Rival so he could concentrate on the task at hand. Guy yelped when he fell over but Kakashi tried to correct his fall so he didn't end up hitting anything on Guy or himself which would hurt too much.

Kakashi over-corrected and his face smacked against Guy's. Being honest, Kakashi's masked mouth ended up against Guy's lips. The duo froze for several moments. They disregarded the sound of a crow cawing at them in mocking and simply lay still on each other, mouths touching through fabric and eyes locked.

Kakashi and Guy leaped apart and pointed at each other, eyes wide in horror, mouths dropped open in disbelief, and entire bodies tense.

"YOU KISSED ME!"

The crow made another noise, this time joined by its fellows. Guy and Kakashi did not move but kept staring and pointing at each other.

"I can't believe my first kiss was with you," Kakashi said.

He moaned and fell to his knees dramatically, head bowed and hands keeping him from face planting.

"You took my first experience in my Springtime of Youth!"

"I can't believe I got kissed by a guy who talks about the Springtime of Youth,"

"My first travel along the path of Youth was with a man!"

"I will never live this down,"

"Does this mean the rest of my youthful experiences will be with men?"

"Someone put a kunai through my heart,"

"Kakashi,"

Guy pointed again to his Eternal Rival who had sunk into a kind of depression. Kakashi looked up to Guy and tried not to think of the youthful (abet entirely impossible) children he and Guy would have. Kakashi failed. He shuddered.

"Does this mean we have to go all the way?" Guy asked.

Kakashi groaned and face planted. Guy gaped before grabbing Kakashi's shoulders and lifting him into an upright position so he could shake Kakashi back to life.

"My Eternal Rival! You must live in your youth!"

"I won't if you keep shaking me," Kakashi said.

Guy stopped shaking but not in enough time that Kakashi's head could stop its forward propulsion. Kakashi's lips ended up on Guy's again and they both shrieked and pointed at each other.

"We will _never_ speak of this again," Kakashi exclaimed.

Guy nodded in agreement. Kakashi let out a breath and sagged forward in relief. Guy hummed and asked the important question:

"What about the challenge?"

Guy watched as Kakashi blinked then huffed.

"You win," Kakashi said.

Guy could not contain his excitement. He had _finally_ beaten his Eternal Rival!

"TO YOUTH!"

Kakashi stared at Guy who was currently occupied with shouting and fist pumping. Kakashi sighed. At least Guy kept things entertaining.

* * *

"Kakashi? As in _Hatake_ Kakashi?"

Out of all his precious students, Neji had been the first to recover from Guy's story and Guy nodded at him. Tenten still gaped while Lee had fallen over. Neji stared, mouth dropped open, eyes wide in shock, and one eyebrow raised and twitching.

Guy beamed when Neji groaned and fell backwards onto the grass. Tenten shook her head and let out a long breath.

"I'm sorry I asked," Tenten said.

"Me too," Neji said from the ground.

"Wait does that even count? I mean it was the mask you kissed, not Kakashi-sama's lips," Tenten said.

Guy blinked. He had never considered this. Perhaps he would talk to Kakashi about this later, after he had gotten Kakashi drunk on sake of course. Guy did not have a death wish after all. He still had _plenty_ of Youth to enjoy.  
Guy looked to Neji who groaned.

"Does it even _matter?_ " Neji asked. "They still _kissed._ "

Guy snickered at Neji then jolted when Lee gasped from the ground. He saw Tenten blink but knew Lee was about to ask something important.

"Guy-sensei!"

Lee had leaped to his feet and Guy grinned at his most youthful student.

"Yes Lee?"

Guy could tell Lee was excited. The boy vibrated with energy, running in the spot while pumping his arms up and down.

"You and your Eternal Rival shared your first kiss while Neji, who is my Eternal Rival, shared his first kiss with me!"

Guy knew it was too late to tell Lee _not_ to mention the accidental kiss. Guy laughed when Neji got to his feet and started _screaming_ at Lee. My, my, his precious genius had been hiding his set of lungs:

"What the Hell! Why are you even bringing that up again? I'm going to kill you!"

Guy watched in amusement as Lee took off running. Neji chased him, Byakugan activated, hands glowing blue from chakra, and long hair streaming out behind him regally. Guy chuckled as the two began running around the field, Neji still yelling at Lee while Lee tried to apologize.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Tenten asked.

Guy shrugged as Tenten raised her eyebrow in question.

"Let them enjoy their youth," Guy returned.

She blinked then looked back towards the two boys.

"Right," Tenten muttered.

Eventually Neji caught up to Lee but not in the way Neji had hoped. Lee had stopped moving which made Neji run into him and the two rolled over each other until coming to a stop.

"Yep, Neji's going to kill him," Tenten remarked.

Guy supposed he should get up to rescue Lee from Neji, especially since the two had frozen in shock as Neji and Lee's lips had accidently locked a second time. Guy got to his feet as Neji reared back:

"WHAT THE HELL?"

Guy laughed. Neji had gotten to his feet and started spitting while Lee simply sat up and watched. Ah, Youth.

* * *

 **Kill**

"Guy, where are you?"

Guy heard the voice in his ear but could not respond, not yet. He knew he _should be_ as he was on a mission and all but he couldn't. He had to be quiet.

"Might Guy, come in,"

Guy tried not to think of the punishment he would face upon not speaking when his team leader, another jonin, wanted him to talk. All Guy wanted to focus on was the situation going on in front of him.

"Might Guy, can you read me?"

Guy raised his left hand and shut off the ear piece. He did not need a voice in his ear jabbering at him as he went on his self-appointed mission. Guy knew in theory he should be heading back to the rendezvous point to meet up with his team leader and Yuhi Kurenai but he couldn't.

Many people _would_ be running to the rendezvous point. Guy couldn't because it would mean leaving his Eternal Rival Hatake Kakashi to die in enemy hands. Guy would never be able to go to sleep at night knowing he had failed to help his Eternal Rival and good friend.

Of course, if anyone was expected to die on this mission, it had been Guy. He had been promoted to jonin a few months ago and this was his first S-Rank mission. The team leader had paired Guy with Kakashi for the same reason. Kurenai had experience under her belt as did Kakashi. If anyone would get out of a bad situation, it would be the Copy Nin.

But, the world liked to prove people wrong and today it would prove all of Konoha wrong. Why? Well, Guy was able to retreat as requested while Kakashi had been captured as was currently being dragged further and further away from the rendezvous point.

Why had Kakashi been captured? He had over-used his Sharingan and now was suffering from the effects of chakra depletion, another reason why Guy had been teamed with Kakashi. Guy did not rely on his chakra to fight, instead using pure power and taijustu to take down enemies. It didn't mean Guy _couldn't_ use chakra, he just preferred not to. He would never tell anyone it was for the _exact_ reason Kakashi happened to be going through right now.

Guy would never fall over from chakra depletion. His body had been honed enough he had more stamina than any other shinobi so if he fell over from exhaustion then all the enemies in the area would be dead. In lamest terms: Guy was difficult to wear down which meant he was hard to kill which mean his shinobi career wouldn't come to an abrupt end in the middle of a mission.

Guy landed on the next tree branch in front of him with nary a sound. The two enemy shinobi in front of him kept moving, not realizing they were being tailed by Guy. Of course they wouldn't notice. Guy had pretended to retreat then hid his chakra while the men took off with an unconscious Kakashi.

Guy knew he could not flat out attack these two enemy shinobi. They had power jutsu, powerful enough to take down Kakashi. No, Guy would have to follow at a distance until the enemy were tired enough Guy stood some form of a chance to get Kakashi back.

It helped Kakashi had managed to land a strike on one, cutting through the man's bicep which caused copious amounts of blood to run down the man's arm even with a bandage. The uninjured man carried Kakashi like a sack, draped over one broad shoulder with one arm keeping Kakashi from falling.

The two were smart though. They had bound Kakashi's arms and legs in chakra absorbing robe. Even if Kakashi regained consciousness he would not be able to fight back. Kakashi was nothing without his jutsu, well, at least not for long in Guy's books.

They continued to move through the woods until the injured enemy underestimated his next leap and fell towards the forest floor. Guy stilled on his tree limb to watch as the other man grabbed his partner by the vest to catch him, landing smoothly on the forest floor.

"We're far enough away so we can rest here for the night," the uninjured one said.

Guy frowned. This uninjured man was massive, much taller than Ibiki's 194 centimeter frame which was a feat in itself. The man would be much heavier than Choza's 120 kilogram weight but where Choza was bulk, this man was muscle. Guy had never met such a physically intimidating man.

"Thanks," the injured one said.

This one stood average in height with a normal weight. He would not be the problem as blood loss had made him dizzy and slowed him down. The uninjured giant would slow Guy down from his rescue mission.

Guy did have an advantage over the enemy, two actually. The first would be surprise. They did not know Guy had followed them. The second would be speed. As daunting as the man looked, all the muscle in the world could not help a person if they could not hit their target. Guy knew the muscular man had a longer arm and leg reach but Guy would count on his speed to keep him from getting pulverized by one of the man's fists.

Guy waited until the large enemy put Kakashi onto the ground. Kakashi sat up but Guy saw Kakashi's hitai-ate had been moved so it covered _both_ of Kakashi's eyes. Guy's frown deepened. Kakashi couldn't help even if the Copy Nin wanted to help.

"Ah, that bastard cut me deep," the injured enemy said.

"Yeah I see. Stay still while I fix you up,"

Guy watched as the large man revealed a sewing kit. The man had surprisingly dexterous fingers despite their thickness. The gauze came off the injured man and Guy winced at the seeping wound. The big man tsked.

Guy shifted to a different tree branch and saw Kakashi's head tilt slightly. Neither man watched their captive, knowing Kakashi was useless without the use of his hands, legs, and blinded as he was. Guy knew better than to complete discount Kakashi. The man hadn't made ANBU for nothing.

Too bad they had taken Kakashi's radio. Guy could have given him instructions. Guy looked back to see the large man carefully stitching closed the wound on his friend's upper arm. Guy could not let this continue. With the wound exposed, the injured one wouldn't be able to do much. Besides, if Guy timed this right he might make the bigger man unintentionally hurt his injured comrade. Guy took a breath and let it out slowly.

Dynamic Entry would be _perfect._

Guy kept his mouth shut but took two giant leaps back so he could gain a lot of momentum. He propelled his body forward, shifting into the flying kick, and aimed towards the big man's head. No one saw him coming until it was too late.

Guy's right foot slammed into the back of the big man's head and the man went flying, jerking his friend's arm with a force that instantly dislocated the all ready injured man's shoulder and caused the stitches to be ripped out painfully. The injured man screamed while the bigger man landed in a sprawl on the grass.

Guy did not dare stop his assault now. The mountain of a man was down and he had to keep it that way. Guy landed and swung his right leg in a downwards motion towards the mountain's head. The mountain turned.

Guy felt his ankle scream in pain when the mountain grabbed it. The pain did not last long as Guy was flung to a side as if Guy wasn't a fully grown man. Guy landed but rolled, coming up on his feet in a fighting stance. His right ankle throbbed angrily but Guy had no choice but to ignore it.

The mountain had gotten to his feet as well and did not look pleased. Guy and the mountain glanced towards the injured shinobi. More blood poured out of the man's hanging left arm as the man tried to hold the wound. Blood seeped between fingers, down the man's skin, and onto the grass. The man's eyes were painful and wide.

"Don't worry, I'll kill this spandex wearing idiot then take care of your arm," the mountain said.

Guy gulped. He pushed down the bile in his throat and the rising fear. Guy took a deep breath then grinned. Guy gave the mountain a thumb up and felt his smile ping.

"I am no idiot! My name is Might Guy and I will protect my Eternal Rival Hatake Kakashi until my last breath! This I promise in the name of Youth!"

The mountain stared at him then started laughing. Guy laughed with him but moved. The mountain stopped chuckling when Guy's right fist slammed into the man's stomach. Normally one of Guy's fists would cause a smaller man to cough up some blood, especially since Guy had deliberately hit at his full strength.

All the mountain did was grunt, scowl then swing a hand. Guy ducked under the intended blow but _felt_ the amount of air the man disrupted. If that slap had hit Guy would have soared through the air a dozen feet and potentially broken whatever part of the body the mountain had hit him on.

Guy felt a tingling in his right wrist now but ignored it. He flung out a spinning kick and connected with his right foot, hitting the mountain in the knee. The man stumbled forward but _did not_ go down. Normally Guy would cause a person to fly off their feet with that move but this was no person he fought. No, this man was a literal mountain Guy would have to topple if he wanted to live.

Guy had rarely been in such a dire life or death situation. He could not remember a time when he did not have backup either coming to him or someone else with him who could help him take down such a foe. This time, he was completely alone.

He had deliberately cut off contact with his team leader and Kurenai. Kakashi was all the way back in Konoha with how bound the man was. Whether or not Guy lived was on his shoulders alone. Guy pushed back his fright and kept moving.

The mountain could not catch him, as Guy had suspected. It didn't mean Guy did a lot of damage to this mountain with his kicks and punches. The mountain would grunt then brush off the hit as if Guy had swatted him instead of kicked him at full force. Kami, the mountain was made of steel.

Guy's ankles, wrists, elbows, and hands were aching from delivering blow after blow but the mountain did not look phased. Frustrated, yes, because he could not catch Guy but hurt? No. He wasn't even panting.

Guy threw a punch but his fist landed in the mountain's open palm. Guy tried to pull back but it was too late. The mountain trapped Guy's fist in one massive hand then grinned. Guy gritted his teeth in pain as the mountain squeeze. Guy felt his bones grinded together before the mountain tossed him effortlessly to a side.

Guy hit the ground on his right shoulder, _hard,_ but rolled onto his feet and into a fighting stance. Guy took a deep breath and knew he had to use his trump card. Father had told Guy never to this particular move unless he was protecting someone important.

At the moment, there was no one more important to Guy then his Eternal Rival Hatake Kakashi.

"What's wrong, idiot? Run out of fighting moves? Is that all you can do? Punch-punch-kicky-kick? That won't work on me,"

Guy shifted until he stood straight, feet shoulder width apart, and hands clenched in fists at his sides.

"Gate of Opening: Release!"

Guy felt the surge of chakra and suddenly he felt like he could punch through the mountain's skull. He knew it wasn't the case, not yet.

"Gate of Healing: Release!"

More energy flowed through him and Guy felt his muscles contract with the new found speed and power.

"Gate of Life: Release!"

His blood flow increased and Guy knew his skin turned red as his eyes turned white. The heat of Youth filled his body but Guy wasn't done yet.

"Gate of Pain: Release!"

Suddenly his ankles, wrists, elbows, hands, and feet didn't hurt. The dirt beneath his feet had started to tremble and turn to dust, flowing up around his lower legs from the sheer pressure of the power flowing through Guy's body. Guy saw everything in a haze of green as his sweat evaporated at a rapid rate because of his increased body temperature.

Guy saw the mountain staring at him in wonder. The mountain smiled and cracked his knuckles as if the beginning parts of this fight had been a warm up. Guy gritted his teeth.

"Gate of Limit: Release!"

Guy felt the veins erupting into visibility on his face, his neck, in his hands, across his forehead, and everywhere else in his body. Waves of pure power rolled off him, making his hair shift and wave in the whorls of wind Guy's body created.

"Gate of View: Release!"

Guy felt the surge of power and moved. The mountain tried to move with him but to Guy the mountain moved in slow motion, at least twenty times slower than before.

"Morning Peacock!"

Guy forwent the initial kick. He settled into the proper stance though and began punching. Fire blazed around him, forming a peacock like fan around the mountain who was actually doubling over in pain with each one of Guy's fists.

Guy did not let up. Strike after strike, punch after punch, until the mountain began to bleed. Guy felt ribs and sternum become crushed under his fists. He felt internal organs rupture. He saw one of the mountain's eyes pop out of his head with how hard Guy hit him in the face. The mountain's nose went completely flat. His teeth shattered in his mouth. Both cheek bones sunk inwards to form craters.

The mountain fell with a thud, remaining eye rolling back into his head. A small dust cloud formed when the mountain fell but the man stopped moving. Guy leaped into the air to close the gap between the fallen mountain and the injured enemy.

The man had been trying to escape. Guy kicked him in the chin and heard a snap. The man's head bent so far back the back of the man's skull touched his upper back. The man fell over and stopped moving. Guy let out a breath and went to his knees. One by one he closed the Eight Gates.

When he was done, he was on his hands and knees, shivering, panting, and trying not to throw up. Sweat poured off his forehead, hitting the grass below him with spatters. A bit of blood flowed out of Guy's mouth but not enough he had to be concerned.

Every muscle wailed in agony. Every fiber roared in soreness. Even so, Guy had never felt so alive. He opened eyes he did not remember closing and stared at the grass near his face. Guy turned his head to the protest of his muscles to see Kakashi still sitting upright in the same position.

"Please tell me that wasn't a suicide technique," Kakashi said.

"What would you do if it was, Eternal Rival?" Guy asked.

Kakashi smiled. Guy could tell by the shifting of the man's mask.

"I'd be upset,"

Guy felt tears sting his all ready hurt eyes but couldn't move at the moment. He wanted to hug Kakashi though. Then Kakashi spoke.

"I mean, how in the heck would I get back to Konoha when I'm all tied up like this?"

Guy groaned and let his body fall forward. He rolled onto his back then started laughing. He became serious after a moment.

"The Morning Peacock burns towards the Daytime Tiger which blazes to the Evening Elephant who flames into the Night Guy. Night Guy smoulders to death," Guy said.

"Sounds like it hurts," Kakashi said.

"Yes, so my father said," Guy told him.

They stayed in silence for a few moments. This is when it hit Guy he had killed two men. Guy blinked. He supposed he should feel bad for taking someone's life the way he had. If he had not then he would die and Kakashi would have been tortured before being killed. Perhaps Guy had more darkness in him than Danzo gave him credit for.

"So, can you move?" Kakashi asked.

Guy thought about it. He hadn't torn too many muscles. Guy was fairly sure he had broken his right wrist though and sprained his right ankle. Guy bent to sit up then grinned.

"I can," Guy said.

"Oh good, we aren't completely screwed," Kakashi told him.

Guy chuckled but managed to get to his hands and knees. He crawled over to Kakashi, keeping his right hand off the ground then sat beside his Eternal Rival. Guy moved Kakashi's hitai-ate first and Kakashi's black eye blinked.

Guy saw the eye widen as Kakashi's mouth dropped open. Kakashi's skin went paler than normal and his entire body sagged. Guy blinked then followed Kakashi's line of sight.

The crushed mountain had literal craters in his body from where Guy's fists had landed. The man's face was unrecognizable and his chest was essentially caved in. The other man's spin had been snapped at the middle neck, his head bent so far back it made the front of his throat tear open to reveal the squishy insides like a second smile.

"Kami," Kakashi muttered.

"Hm," Guy said.

He used his left hand and a kunai from Kakashi's pouch to cut through the rope holding Kakashi's wrists bound in front of him. Kakashi rubbed his wrists for a moment then took the kunai from Guy to free his legs.

"You broke your wrist," Kakashi said.

"And sprained my ankle," Guy said.

Kakashi snorted.

"And I can barely move from chakra depletion. I bet Hiro and Kurenai are out of range too,"

"Likely. I did follow those two for five or so hours after the call to retreat was made,"

Guy smiled as Kakashi thought about this.

"You came back for me," Kakashi said.

"Of course. You are my Eternal Rival,"

"I'd prefer best friend,"

Kakashi coughed in embarrassment as Guy stared at him. Guy laughed and wrapped an arm around Kakashi's shoulders. Kakashi grinned when Guy spoke:

"Kakashi, that is what Eternal Rivals are,"

* * *

"So you _deliberately_ disobeyed your team leader's order to retreat?"

"Yes,"

"You then proceeded to turn off your communication device to go on a self-imposed mission to save Hatake Kakashi?"

"Yes,"

"You then killed Yamauchi Fuji and his partner Suzuki Mori?"

Guy found it funny the mountain of a man he had been defeated had been named Yamauchi Fuji which loosely translated to "within the mountains of Fuji." The other was "bell tree forest" which made sense in Guy's mind. Forests stood in the shades of mountains.

"Yes," Guy said after a beat.

"Two of the most powerful shinobi in the current Bingo Book?"

"Ah, yes," Guy said.

He hadn't know this either. Guy supposed if he had known Yamauchi and Suzuki had been the strongest shinobi in the Bingo book he might have, well; no. He wouldn't have done anything differently except perhaps open the Gates sooner.

The Third Hokage sat back in his chair and puffed on his pipe. Guy waited in position, feet together, spine straight, and arms (with the right in a cast from forearm to the middle of his hand) at his sides.

Kakashi stood in the same position to the right of Guy. The team leader stood to Kakashi's right while Kurenai had taken up the position to Guy's left. Guy enjoyed the fact his two friends were there to support him.

"Huh," The Third said.

Guy kept his chuckles back as the team leader almost fell over in shock.

"Well, I cannot say I'm disappointed in you Might Guy," The Third said.

"But he disobeyed a direct order," the team leader burst out.

The Third nodded.

"Yes but he did it to save a comrade, something which Yuhi wanted to do as well. Might Guy then went on to defeat two dangerous wanted criminals. I would say the mission was a success, despite you leaving Might Guy and Hatake Kakashi behind," the Third said.

The team leader scowled then looked to the floor. Guy met the Third's eyes. The Third smiled.

"Good work, Guy. I know I promoted you to jonin with good reason. Dismissed,"

Guy bowed with thanks. He walked with Kakashi and Kurenai out of the Hokage's office as the team leader stormed out, ignoring the three of them.

"So, how _did_ you beat those two?" Kurenai asked once they had traveled a little.

"Morning Peacock," Guy said.

"Which burns towards the Daytime Tiger which blazes to the Evening Elephant who flames into the Night Guy. Night Guy smoulders to death," Kakashi said.

Guy grinned when Kurenai blinked in awe, both eyebrows raised and her lips slightly parted. She shook her head with a smile.

"So if we ever hear Guy call out an attack for Night Guy then?" Kurenai questioned.

"We stop him before he kills himself," Kakashi replied.

Guy smiled. Kurenai nodded.

"So, what did the Morning Peacock look like?" Kurenai enquired.

Guy chuckled when Kakashi shrugged. Kurenai frowned in disappointment.

"All I know is that it made the man's chest cave in and his face look unrecognizable. It left literal craters in the man's flesh. The other guy? Almost snapped his head clean off," Kakashi said.

Kurenai's jaw dropped and her red eyes went wide. Kakashi gave a short nod as Kurenai got over her shock quickly enough then shook her head.

"Well, let's hope you don't have to use that level of attack again," Kurenai said.

"Agreed," Kakashi added.

Guy wrapped his arms around his friend's shoulders and chuckled with them. He would never use the Morning Peacock again, well, unless a precious person was in trouble. Then he would not hold back.

* * *

 **Time**

Guy groaned when he opened his eyes. The ceiling above his head was unfamiliar. Contrary to popular belief, ceilings _did_ look different between buildings. The ceiling in Guy's apartment got the morning sun so was always bright. There were no watermarks on it and it had a slight tan tint from the bronze color of his walls.

This ceiling did not get the morning light and had a water stain in the corner. There were also fine lines through the middle of it and a single light bulb in the middle. Kakashi's ceiling was pale blue and got the afternoon light. So. It was not his Eternal Rival's ceiling either.

Guy had no idea who this ceiling belonged to. He also had no idea _why_ he would be able to feel the oddly comfortable floor on his _entire_ body. Guy ran his fingers through the thick carpet and tilted his head to the left. The carpet was actually a gray area rug. A black leather couch stood near him with all its cushions off and spread over the room.

The rest of the floor was hardwood and Guy spotted a sitting room table in dark oak against what would be a sliding door which led out to a balcony. The blinds of the balcony were gray and pulled across most of the way. Guy saw about a foot of blue sky and the top of a building through the open vertical blinds.

The walls of the place were a deeper gray with absolutely no adornments. The person whose living room he laid in did not have any pictures. Who did he know personally who did not like their picture taken?

Morino Ibiki stood at the top of the list. Guy would have no reason to be lying in Ibiki's apartment though. Mitarashi Anko didn't mind her picture being taken but she never kept them. Guy sighed as his head throbbed.

Hm, judging by the position of the sun on the ceiling of the person's apartment it was mid-morning. He had students to train: Lee, Tenten, and, and, Neho? Nao? Nobu? No, no, none of those were the Hyuuga's first name. The poor boy had started coming with a sign across his chest two days ago because Guy could not get his name right...

Neji. That was it. His final student's name was Hyuuga Neji. Guy smiled at this small victory then frowned. All three would be angry at him. He normally met them at four in the morning and would be around 10AM now. He still had to get up and brush the horrible taste out of his mouth. First he had to figure out where he was and how he had come here.

A hand shifted across his chest and Guy crinkled his brow. Both of _his_ hands were rubbing the carpet. Guy looked down at his chest and stiffened. He was in Anko's apartment.

She lay against his right side, as naked as he was, with one hand draped over his chest and now that he considered it, the other under his body and touching his ass. Guy also spotted a familiar mop of silver hair and stared.

Kakashi's head rested on Guy's left upper thigh, face pointed towards Guy's groin and the mask skewed across Kakashi's face. Kakashi had not a stitch of clothing on besides the haphazard mask and the Copy Nin's arms had wrapped around Guy's legs which kept Guy in place.

Guy inhaled and caught the smell of sweat and, well, musk, which could only be described as the smell of sex. Guy blinked. Apparently he had gone all the way into his Springtime of Youth with both Kakashi and Anko.

How in the world had this happened?

Guy disregarded his headache and swallowed down his complicated emotions to decipher later. He had to think of the last memory he had. Guy closed his eyes and considered. It slammed into the forefront of his mind a moment later.

The bar.

Whiskey shots.

Drinking contest in which Anko joined in and Ibiki laughed at them all as he drunk them under the proverbial table.

Oh.

Now it made sense.

He had gotten drunk and gone to Anko's home with Kakashi where they fell onto the floor and had sex. Guy wondered if he had told the two he was not experienced and what their response had been. He _did_ remember kissing...well, one or both of them. He kind of remembered the feel of their hands over his flesh. He definitely remembered what it felt like to come to completion inside of, of, well, it had to be Anko, right?

Guy kept thinking. He could see the pert butt he slammed into. The smooth back, muscled shoulders, ANBU tattoo on the left bicep, shock of silver hair...ah. Anko had been under Kakashi while Guy had been atop them both.

Guy knew how two men went about intercourse and certainly hoped he had been kind enough to use a lot of lube on Kakashi. He had never intended to hurt his Eternal Rival. He also pondered how much the two on top of him would remember.

Guy had a flash of a memory of Anko _under_ him, breasts bouncing as he rammed into her and mouth dropped in pleasure. Kakashi had been under Anko that time. Hm. How many times _had_ they done it?

Guy opened his eyes when a sound finally registered in his ears. Someone used the shower. Guy looked back down his body to see Anko and Kakashi had not woken up yet. Who in the world used Anko's shower then?

Guy lifted his head but even this slight motion hurt. Oh he had drunk _a lot_ last night. Too much, being entirely honest. His students (Lee, Tenten, and _Neji_ ) would come looking for him and not be impressed if, hopefully _if_ , they found him. What if? Neji had Byakugan. All he had to do was activate the dojutsu and lead Tenten and Lee around the village.

This would not be a good thing for the Hyuuga Genius to see. The boy was entering puberty and _did not_ need to see the crazy behavior adults had when booze was involved. Guy tried to think if Neji would have had the Talk or at least paid attention to the week-long daily lesson in the Academy.

Guy snorted.

Of _course_ Neji would have paid attention. He never missed a day of the Academy and had the top marks in the class. The bigger question would be whether or not all the lessons had made sense to Neji or if he had taken in the information and not asked questions because stupid Hyuuga pride made out questioning something a weakness.

Guy sighed. His head hurt too much to think of snotty clan politics. Crazy Hyuuga ideals and rules. Stifled the whole lot of them and left twelve year old boys emotionally stunted. Neji should not be afraid of a simple _hug_ or smiling for that matter.

The water shut off. Guy opened his eyes and stared. He didn't realize he had closed them again but did manage to tilt his head enough so he could see down a hallway where the bathroom had to be. Anko had a nice television against the wall opposite the couch. Guy pulled his thoughts from the television as he heard the fourth person currently in the apartment moving around the bathroom.

Hm. Ibiki had been with them but he had not been drunk. Then again Guy could not remember much of what had happened after his twelfth, no thirteenth shot. He did remember dancing against Anko with Kakashi behind him and asking Kakashi if the man had hidden a weapon down his pants.

Anko had said something about a lot of guys having hidden weapons and it had clicked into Guy he was feeling Kakashi's erection against his butt. For some reason this had made Guy laugh. Anko had talked about a woman's weapons being less hidden and Kakashi agreed.

Guy remembered walking down the street with a bottle of liquor Anko had managed to swipe. They had been singing something. Anko had been in the middle while Guy hung off her left side, Kakashi her right. Really they had all been hanging off each other as none of them had been in a condition to walk.

Ibiki had not been with them. Guy frowned. If Anko and Kakashi were on top of him then who in the world was in Anko's bathroom?

Guy heard a door open and stared as a shadow a _large_ shadow fell across the hallway. Guy gaped as none other than Morino Ibiki stepped out of the hallway, fully dressed and freshly showered. Ibiki whistled as he stepped around Guy and put the pillows in place on the couch before sprawling across it, upright, and flicking on the television with the remote.

Ibiki acted as if Guy, Kakashi, and Anko were _not_ lying naked across the living room floor. Guy opened his mouth to speak but could not figure out how to get the words to come out of his mouth. He did not even know what to say.

"I suppose you enjoyed your night," Ibiki said.

The torture specialist grinned. Guy kept staring. Ibiki shrugged.

"I mean, it sounded like the three of you had a lot of fun. I had to put ear plugs in so I could get some sleep," Ibiki went on.

"You, you," Guy tried.

He didn't even know what he was trying to ask.

"This is a two bedroom apartment," Ibiki said casually.

Guy lay in a two bedroom apartment. Why would Anko need a two bedroom apartment? Oh. _OH._

"Yes, Anko and I share,"

Ibiki smirked after delivering this confirmation. Guy wanted to ask _something_ but had no idea what it was he wanted to ask. He really had to stop making drinking a challenge. It always ended badly especially when Kakashi and Anko were involved.

"I hope you noticed how _flexible_ Anko is," Ibiki said.

The torture specialist still grinned. Guy blinked. Oh. Anko _was_ oddly flexible. Guy felt his cheeks heat. At least most of last night came back to him now. It would be a pity to forget his first time.

"And how good she is with her mouth," Ibiki mentioned.

Oh yes, Anko did have talented lips. Guy gulped and forced his mind to stop bringing those memories to the forefront, at least for now. He could linger on them later when he was _not_ lying naked in front of a colleague who seemed to be enjoying this too much.

"I'm not even sure _how_ Kakashi managed to keep his mask on the whole time," Ibiki said.

Guy remembered but decided it best not to say anything. He glanced around the sitting area but did not see his green body suit, vest, leg warmers, or hitai-ate. He didn't see Kakashi's clothing either. Anko was in her apartment so her missing clothes did not matter.

Something dinged and Guy looked to Ibiki who kept smirking.

"I did a load of laundry which was made up of yours and Kakashi's clothes. That was the dryer," Ibiki said.

Guy got a grunt out as Ibiki laughed at him and strode back towards the hallway. Guy watched him go until he could not see him anymore but did hear a door opening and something being shuffled around. Ibiki came back with a pile of folded laundry and placed Guy's clothes beside Guy's head. Ibiki put Kakashi's clothes within easy reach of the Copy Nin then sprawled back on the couch in an upright position.

"Anko's liable to sleep till dinner time and I'm guessing so is Kakashi," Ibiki said.

Guy would have to move the two if he wanted to make it to his students before noon. At the moment Guy simply did not have the energy. Ibiki chuckled.

"I know you've got a genin team to take care of so I figure I'll start a pot of tea in a minute," Ibiki said.

"Thank you," Guy got out.

Ibiki nodded. Guy licked his dry lips and wondered when he had eaten cotton balls. Oh, no, this would be a result of the hangover. Guy also had to use the bathroom but knew if he got up too quickly he would fall over and vomit. Guy would have to ease his body upwards.

He would do this in a moment.

Guy let out a breath and closed his eyes. Ibiki snickered at him but Guy did hear the man get off the couch and stride towards the kitchen. Guy raised one arm to rub his throbbing forehead and sighed. Ibiki whistled from the kitchen as he went about making tea. Guy would have to thank the man properly later.

Guy opened his eyes again when Ibiki came into the room and sat a steaming mug of tea to Guy's left, opposite Guy's clothes. Guy managed to half sit up without dislodging either Kakashi or Anko. Ibiki snorted but Guy sipped his tea. He noticed a white pill on the saucer and took it without asking what it was. Ibiki wouldn't poison him.

Guy kept sipping his tea and felt some of his strength returning to him. Guy finished his tea and felt almost normal. His head throbbed lightly but his throat did not feel like a desert. He also did not feel so dizzy or as if he would throw up any moment now. Ah, the wonderfulness of tea.

Guy looked to Anko and Kakashi who still clung to him in slumber. Now he had to move these two without waking them up. Guy knew if he woke them up it would cause his headache to come back.

"You can pick up Anko and drop her and she won't wake up," Ibiki said.

Guy nodded and pushed Anko off him. She merely snorted, rolled away from him and curled up on her side. One down and Kakashi to go. Guy frowned. Kakashi was normally a light sleeper but this was drunk Kakashi. Guy hummed as he considered. He caught Ibiki jolting with him when a thunk sounded against the window.

Guy half turned to look. Ibiki raised his eyebrow in amusement. Anko and Kakashi slept on. Guy had a horrible feeling about this.

"Oh my god! Neji, are you okay?"

 _Terrible_ feeling confirmed, thanks to Tenten. Guy ignored Ibiki chortling.

"Of course I am fine. Nothing like hitting my head off a window in the morning,"

Guy had no idea Neji had such sarcasm in him. Too bad the Hyuuga clan had stifled it. Neji would have an _excellent_ personality if they had not. There was another bang.

"Lee, what in the Hell?" Tenten asked, too shrilly for Guy.

"Neji said—" Lee started.

"Sarcasm you idiot," Neji muttered.

Guy watched helplessly as Neji pushed open the sliding doors with a scowl on his face. He made it half a step into the apartment before stopping. Apparently his Byakugan was not _quite_ developed enough to see a person's full form instead of their chakra paths.

Neji's jaw dropped, his white eyes went wide, his entire face became scarlet, and his eyebrows disappeared under his hitai-ate. Tenten and Lee were pushing against him and telling him to keep going but Neji shook his head.

"Guy-sensei's fine, he's um, fine. Let's just, er, wait for him at the training field. We can run laps or something," Neji got out.

"But I want to see Guy-sensei," Lee said in a whine.

For a moment Guy was touched. Then he remembered he was naked with Kakashi hugging him like some kind of bear and Lee seeing him right now would be _bad._ Neji shook his head, quickly, which set his hair whipping around his head and into Lee and Tenten's faces.

"No you don't," Neji assured him.

Guy watched as Neji shoved both his teammates back out the way they had come. The sliding door slammed shut behind Neji's back and Guy stared at the shadow of figures arguing outside.

"Okay, fine, fine, Lee, I challenge you in a contest to get back to the field," Neji said.

"Yes! Accepted! Tenten, let's go!"

Two figures left, one (Lee) dragging the other. The sliding door opened but Neji stuck his head in with one hand covering his eyes.

"You _owe_ me for this," Neji said.

He took off with deep red cheeks. Guy stared out the window as Ibiki burst out laughing. Guy sighed and shook his head. Well, he might as well get up. No need for Lee to get impatient again and come looking for him.

* * *

"Guy-sensei!"

Guy grunted when Lee ran into him full force. Tenten stood off to a side, spinning her Bo in her hands as she regarded him. Neji stood _far_ from Tenten with his arms likely crossed over his chest. His back was to Guy.

"Why were you in that apartment this morning?" Lee asked.

Oh. Right. As if Lee would forget something within twenty minutes. Guy tried a Nice Guy pose but knew it mostly failed. He did get a half-decent laugh out.

"Er, I was overzealous in my meeting with good friends and overslept," Guy replied.

Guy heard Neji snort. Well, if Neji did not know about sex he certainly would now. Guy put this out of his mind and got Lee off of him. He had enough people clinging to him this morning. At least the other two had remained unconscious. Ibiki would still say something to them but Guy had no issue in this. It would mean an awkward few meetings after.

"Overslept by seven hours," Tenten said.

She did _not_ look pleased. Guy spotted numerous weapons piercing each one of the targets he had set up for her two weeks ago. She had hit dead center on every one with every weapon. This was Tenten though. Her name told people what she was capable of.

"Hn," Neji said.

Guy had not determined what all of Neji's mono-syllable responses meant yet but he was getting there. This particular sound was new though. New was never good, not when it came from a twelve year old prodigy who could kick your ass before you knew it was being kicked. This became doubled when one _owed_ said prodigy.

"I mean, I can understand an hour, maybe two, but _seven_?" Tenten asked. "What, did you guys stay up until four this morning?"

Guy had to think about this question.

"Ah, yes," Guy said.

Tenten rolled her eyes. Lee gaped. Neji made another sound Guy did not recognize.

"It will not happen again, I promise. I am a sensei to you now and I do not intend to skip a day of training because of, er, overzealous activities with friends," Guy said.

He managed a Nice Guy pose. Tenten snorted. Lee thanked him. Neji made _another_ sound Guy didn't recognize. They started their training routine without complaint but Guy did notice Neji would not look at him. Guy did not blame the Hyuuga in this, not at all.

Training came to an end at seventeen hundred hours and even though it had been half of their normal routine, Guy felt exhausted. He was ready to eat some warm soup and sleep until three tomorrow.

"Lee, Tenten, you are dismissed. Neji, I would like to speak to you a moment," Guy said.

Lee and Tenten tried to exchange a glance with Neji but he looked away from both of them, glaring at the sky to his right, arms crossed over his chest, skinny body tense, and lips set in a scowl. Tenten nodded then grinned at Guy in a way he had a feeling wished him good luck. Lee took off with a backwards wave but Tenten did not linger long.

"About this morning—" Guy started.

"I saw nothing," Neji told him.

Guy rubbed the back of his head as Neji's cheeks began to go pink. Of course Neji would make this more difficult than needed. Guy cautiously approached Neji and placed a hand on Neji's shoulder. Neji stiffened and focused his heat stare on Guy. Guy _almost_ balked and took off running but managed to keep his position. The glare fizzled out after thirty seconds as Neji saw it was not effective and Neji blinked.

"You see, when a man and a woman, and er, another man, care about each other very much—" Guy attempted.

Neji shook his head but his cheeks went redder.

"I _know_ what sex is," Neji broke in.

"Ah, of course," Guy said.

Neji huffed. He raised an eyebrow at Guy but did not uncross his arms or relax his stance. His cheeks stayed colored though.

"Well, normally I do not go around having sex with my good friends," Guy said and stopped.

Neji's eyebrow stayed raised. Neji frowned at him as Guy waited.

"You got drunk?" Neji questioned flatly.

Guy laughed but nodded as his cheeks heated. Neji snorted. Guy cleared his throat and managed to give Neji a half smile. Neji let out a breath and gave Guy a weary look.

"I cannot control what you do as you are my sensei but I am thankful you said it would not happen again. Personally I do not wish to feel like gouging my eyes out again, thanks," Neji said.

Guy held back his laugh despite Neji's sarcasm. Ah if the boy hadn't been born a Hyuuga he would be hilarious. Stupid clan laws and forcing Neji to be so emotionless.

"I want you to make me another promise," Neji said.

Guy nodded excitedly and was happy the boy was finally coming around. Neji's expression did not change. Guy did not consider this a bad concept, not yet anyway.

"No more asking me to wear those inane spandex body suits of yours," Neji said.

Guy gasped. Neji raised his eyebrow again.

"But, but—" Guy tried.

"You owe me," Neji stopped him.

Guy opened his mouth but nodded in defeat. Neji made his sound of agreement before turning and starting to walk back to the compound. Guy watched him go with a smile. Perhaps a night of drinking which led to his first time having sex had not ended so horribly.

* * *

Reviews welcome. Tenten's chapter should be up within a week.


	4. Tenten

**Tenten**

 **Author's notes:** ah the last chapter. Again, we're focusing on Tenten's first hug, kiss, kill, and time. We all ready know her first time is with Neji so we just get to see it from her perspective now.

 **General Warnings:** Made up time lines, OOC-ness, on screen sex and swearing. **And a reminder:** Tenten (as per my Twenty Truths about Team Guy) thinks Neji is transgender: female body but identifies as male. You'll probably have to read Twenty Truths about Team Guy to understand fully.

The just of it: when she first sees Neji in her class she thinks he's a girl, something about the long hair and his delicate features...*cough* Anyway, when he nods to his name she thinks it's a strange name for a girl, even weirder when he goes into the men's room after she begins stalking him.

No, she never stops to think "hey, he's a real he" because she kind of gets stuck on the fact Neji is female. It's...complicated. ;)

 **Neji X Tenten Fluff and more ahead!**

* * *

 **Hug**

Tenten had never imagined being on a team with her crush. It was like a dream come true and she skipped towards the training field Guy-sensei told them to meet at despite it being almost four in the morning with the sun not even up yet.

She had never been much of a morning person and was always mere seconds from being late during her Academy days. Now she had the proper motivation to get up in the morning. It meant she got to see Neji _all day_ and train with him for twelve or more hours.

Even better was during the past month Lee had taken to copying Guy-sensei's style and Guy-sensei now sparred with Lee in the afternoon. This meant Tenten could have her entire afternoon, four or more _whole hours_ alone with Neji. She could stare at him all she wanted: his smooth pale flesh, the long dark brown hair, and those white eyes without him being the wiser because hey, a person had to look at their sparring partner, right?

Tenten got to the field to see Neji sitting under one of her targets, legs crossed in a lotus position and his eyes closed. His arms with their slender, long, delicate fingers were draped over his legs and if Tenten stared for long enough she could see some of the smooth skin of Neji's upper left thigh. The bandages on his right leg extended all the way up (to Tenten's disappointment) but at least she could see a lot of his silky looking flesh.

She licked her lips before summoning a kunai and chucking it. The knife hit dead center of the target above Neji's head. Tenten grinned as pale eyes opened and a little smirk graced his features. Neji got to his feet in a graceful motion and turned slightly to pull the kunai out of the target. He strode towards her and she stayed in place to watch him move.

He walked with confidence: steps measured but light and a slight sway to his hips. His arms hung loosely at his sides, moving ever so faintly with the motion of his legs. Long hair fluttered behind his head and the two straps from his hitai-ate wavered beside his high cheekbones. He stood a foot from her and handed her the kunai with its handle towards her.

"Good morning," Neji said softly.

His voice was deep, not fully at male tones he would have to make it take in a few years but deep enough no one could mistake him for female when he started talking. People occasionally mistook him for a female and it always made Tenten want to rage at those people for being so insensitive towards Neji's issues.

He couldn't help being born in the wrong body. The least people could do, would be to acknowledge the fact he wanted to be referred to as a guy despite the fact he was _exceptionally_ pretty.

"Morning," Tenten said.

Neji inclined his head at her and gave her a mono-syllable sound of joy. Tenten smiled. The peaceful moment was broken when Guy-sensei and Lee shouted to them. Tenten turned to see the two arriving early today and running towards them with vigor. Tenten said nothing as the two stopped in front of her and Neji and Guy-sensei told them to line up.

Tenten did not move from her spot when Neji came to stand at her right side. Lee took her left side and stood at attention happily. Neji had crossed his arms over his chest and raised one eyebrow marginally.

"Laps," Guy-sensei announced.

They began. Tenten tried not to think about how she didn't have as much stamina as Lee or Neji. She chalked Lee's up to being a guy and unfortunately guys had a predisposition to building muscle and stamina faster. Neji though, well he had been born in a female's body so by rights he should be struggling at much as her.

No, he thought of himself as a guy so he would force his body to act the way _he_ wanted, genetics be damned. Tenten almost laughed at the thought but saved her breath for the insane training routine.

By mid-morning she was covered in sweat. She had stains halfway down her shirt from her pits, dying the material a darker pink. She should probably be wearing something besides black pants but dang it, she liked this outfit. Sweat rolled down her back and even her arms glistened in it. She glanced to Neji to see how he was doing and grinned.

Neji had made it in front of her as normal so she got a _great_ view of his grab worthy butt. His shorts were sticking in weird places and he had sweat stains down the sides of his light shirt. He had gone so far as to undo the top two straps and unzip his shirt to expose a tempting swatch of his chest.

Tenten didn't see any breast bindings, at least not at this level but Neji's zipper had not gone that low. And he probably wouldn't let it get that low. Still, it had to really hurt to keep his chest bound so tightly especially in this heat.

"Come my children! Let us keep bathing in our Springtime of Youth!"

"I am _not_ his child," Neji muttered.

Tenten giggled. She let out a breath as Lee and Guy took off across the field doing lunges. Neji did not seem to be moving any time soon so she stood beside him. She kept trying to sneak peeks down his open shirt to see about the breast bindings but stopped. It was rude of her to try and besides Neji had extra keen eyes.

"I'm pretty sure Springtime of Youth is synonymous with being extra sweaty," Tenten said.

"Hn,"

Tenten knew this as Neji's sound of agreement. She watched as Neji lifted the hair off the back of his neck and let the brown locks fall over one shoulder. He really was too pretty to exist.

"I assume we should follow them," Neji said.

"Yeah," Tenten returned.

"Tenten! Neh-er, Neji! Come my children!"

Tenten kept her laugh back when Neji glared.

"Did he almost call me Neho?" Neji questioned.

"You should bring the sign for another week," Tenten suggested.

He huffed. Tenten followed him towards their sensei and they fell into lunges together. Finally at noon Guy-sensei called for a break. Tenten simply collapsed onto her butt from her standing position. Neji sat elegantly while Lee and Guy-sensei settled but not as regally as Neji had.

Tenten sipped her water gratefully and watched Neji out of the corner of her eye. Neji's eyes were half closed as he tilted his water bottle towards his mouth. His lips were moist, parted enough to keep him from spilling but even so one little droplet had escaped the corner of his mouth and traveled downwards on his face, hanging off his chin until it landed on his open shirt.

"Let us eat," Guy-sensei said.

Tenten tore her eyes away from Neji and opened her bento box. She did keep watching as Neji opened his lunch and began eating delicately. Everything he did was so precise and refined but there was hidden strength under each movement, kind of like his attacks in general.

Tenten offered Neji the herring soba she had painstakingly made last night and he blinked at her. Neji thanked her softly and offered up his bento box in exchange. She took some of his maki rolls but he didn't look like he cared much. The corner of his lips turned upwards into the tiniest of smiles and Tenten grinned inwardly in victory.

It had taken her three whole _months_ to get this close to him and every day seemed like a new challenge. Tenten didn't mind challenges though. In fact, she _loved_ them. It was one of the reasons she liked being on Team Guy so much despite Guy-sensei's insanity.

"Lee! Let us spar!"

Tenten looked up to see the two green clad guys had finished their lunch and were now racing away. Tenten tilted her head towards Neji who had his chopsticks in his mouth and a soba noodle stuck out the corner of his lips. Tenten pursed her lips to keep from laughing. Neji got the errant noodle into his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and _licked his lips_ as he looked at her.

"They are insane," Neji said.

"Yep," Tenten agreed.

She would've said yes to whatever Neji had said as she was still stuck on him licking his lips. Neji shook his head and went back to his lunch. They finished eating after another ten minutes but Neji did not rise to spar. He sat on the grass but did stretch out his legs in front of him before leaning back to rest on his elbows. Tenten gulped.

"Do you mind relaxing a bit longer?" Neji asked.

"Nope, we can relax," Tenten replied.

"Hn,"

His happy sound complete with a small smile. Tenten felt her cheeks heat but kept her giggle down. She was in heaven, simply sitting beside Neji while he lounged, long shapely legs spread out in front of him, shirt open to reveal a bit of chest, and eyes half-closed in happiness.

Tenten tried not to be so obvious in staring at him but knew she failed. He didn't seem to mind the slightest bit so she kept watching him. Her eyes flitted to the opening of his shirt but she still couldn't see the breast bindings. Neji's zipper stopped right where the start of bindings would begin. She looked to the juncture between his legs but his shorts were too darned loose for her to see anything special. Oh well.

She went back to gazing at his profile and he did not remark. He had such dainty features but she would never tell him. It would be a blow to the masculine pride he tried to keep and she didn't want to insult him, not like that. His eyelashes were amazingly long and his eyebrows so elegantly shaped. His lips were a bit on the thin side but heart-shaped and tinted the palest of pinks to go with his overall light skin tone.

"Tenten," Neji said.

"Um, yeah?" Tenten asked.

"Is there a reason you keep staring at me?"

Neji pegged her with those pretty white eyes and she wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Of course he had caught her staring. He was Hyuuga Freaking Neji.

"Um, you're nice to look at," Tenten said.

Oh crap. She had not said that out loud! Neji blinked at her and one eyebrow raised. A little smirk came to his face and he nodded.

"Thank you," Neji said.

Tenten let out a breath. He hadn't taken any deeper meaning to her words. Then again she _could_ tell him she meant more than him being pretty to stare at. Tenten opened her mouth to say how much she liked him but what came out was a yelp.

Neji made a sort of choked garbled shriek when Tenten barrelled into him and landed on his stomach with one hand on Neji's chest and the other on his upper thigh. Neji's hands had ended up on her shoulder and her butt.

Neji was touching her butt.

 _Neji was touching her butt._

Tenten felt the heat explode across her entire face but grinned. She didn't even care she had a face full of grass at the moment and someone was on top of her flailing their arms and legs. Nope, the world could explode tomorrow. Neji was touching her butt.

"Ah, Neji! Tenten! I'm sorry," Lee said.

So it was Lee lying across her back and moving around like an idiot. Lee had likely been thrown into them by Guy-sensei and hadn't been able to recover enough before he went on a collision course. Tenten didn't care. Neji had his hand on her butt.

"LEE!"

Wow. Who knew Neji could be so loud?

Tenten blinked as the weight of Lee left her back. She looked up to see Neji had thrown Lee off of her and was getting up. Aw. Tenten didn't want to get up.

She ended up rolling off him but he caught her. Tenten could die right now and be happy. Neji had touched her butt and now he was _hugging_ her.

Well, technically it wasn't a hug. He had one hand on her shoulder and the other around her waist while one of her hands was on his shoulder and the other was on his hip. He had stopped her from falling to the ground as he got up, that's all. Tenten would still consider this a hug though.

"Are you all right?" Neji questioned.

"Uh-huh,"

"Your face is beat red,"

"Heat,"

"Hn. I am going to go kill Lee,"

"Have fun,"

"Hn,"

Neji placed her down softly and Tenten couldn't help but stupidly smile up at him. He gave her a final look consisting of one eyebrow raised in confusion, but took off to go kill Lee. Tenten giggled when he left and stayed lying down in the grass. She didn't even care Lee started shouting for mercy after a few minutes. She wouldn't have cared if a war started around her and she would be killed because she didn't want to get up.

Neji had touched her butt _and_ she got to hug him. Best day ever.

* * *

 **Kiss**

Tenten ignored the giggling of Ino and Sakura, well for the most part. Hinata had gone red all over and was jabbing her fingers together, head down and longer hair falling over her cheeks. Temari grinned at them from the head of the table. Tenten kept her mouth shut as the Suna kunoichi kept smiling in victory.

It made sense for Temari to have had her first kiss all ready. Temari was two years older than Tenten, three years older than the other girls. It did strike Tenten as funny that Temari was dating someone three years younger, one Nara Shikamaru. Though technically they weren't dating, according to her, and Tenten knew it was because Shikamaru was too lazy for anything to be labelled between them.

"You're such a cradle robber," Ino said.

"So what? Guys can be with a girl a decade younger so why can't a girl be with a guy who's a few years younger?" Temari asked.

This was one of the things Tenten liked about Temari. The older girl had a sort of feminist ideal and did not care about being considered a bitch if she spoke her mind.

"So, how are things between you and the Hyuuga?" Temari questioned.

Tenten kept back her flush and jabbed her spoon a bit hard into her ice cream. No one commented. They knew better and knew Tenten could turn a spoon into a weapon.

"The same," Tenten said.

Temari rolled her teal eyes as did Ino. Sakura smirked. Hinata's flush had gone away but now she had a frown on her face.

"You mean he's still oblivious to the fact you like him," Temari said.

"Yeah," Tenten muttered.

"You're vocal about everything else that might bug you. Why not this?" Ino asked.

Tenten rammed her spoon into her ice cream again which made Ino wince and lean back into her chair a bit. Tenten kept her smirk down.

"Why don't _you_ tell Sai you like him?" Tenten returned.

Ino opened her mouth but flushed and closed it. Tenten did let her smirk out this time as Sakura chuckled. Hinata hummed but went back to her ice cream.

"For some reason, geniuses tend to be idiots when it comes to love," Temari said.

Ino nodded and Tenten frowned before shrugging. She didn't have to be told that. Jeez, she had been staring at Neji since they were twelve. Then again she had told him he was nice to stare at three months into their training with Guy-sensei. Her big mouth was probably why Neji didn't know she liked him as way more than a friend.

"I think all boys are idiots when it comes to love," Sakura said.

They all looked to Hinata. Her eyes went wide and her cheeks colored again. She kept her spoon in her mouth and Tenten wanted to squeeze her cheeks. She didn't.

"I mean really, how long does it take a guy to figure out a girl likes or doesn't like you?" Ino said.

"Yeah, I mean I've rejected Lee enough times he should've gotten it through his head by now. No offense, Tenten," Sakura said.

Tenten shrugged. Lee had a thing for red-heads or pinkettes in Sakura's case. Heck anytime they went on a mission and Lee saw a girl with strawberry blond hair he got distracted. Tenten didn't want to tell Sakura if Yusa ever came back the med-nin would be dropped so fast Sakura wouldn't know what to do. Tenten ate her melting ice cream instead.

"Lip gloss tends to help," Temari said.

Tenten rolled her eyes. She had tried the lip gloss trick a few weeks ago. Neji had looked at her, tilted his head to a side, and raised an eyebrow. Then she got to spend the day brushing errant hairs off her mouth as they got caught in the sticky gloss while he smirked at her in amusement.

"And eyeliner," Temari went on.

Tenten had tried eyeliner too. All it had done was become racoon eyes by the end of the training day which made Neji chuckle at her. At least he had asked why she had been bothering with make-up then told her she looked fine without it. It was good to know he preferred her natural look.

"Yeah, if he notices," Sakura said.

"Or the make-up doesn't make a mess of you," Tenten muttered.

"Huh?" the other four asked.

Tenten sighed and described the lip gloss and eye liner incident. Sakura and Ino gaped. Temari raised her eyebrows and Hinata looked like she was trying not to laugh.

"Okay, well, he _noticed_. It didn't impress him?" Ino questioned.

"Not one bit. He got a laugh out of it more than anything else," Tenten replied.

Temari snorted and shook her head. Ino and Sakura gave her pitying looks. Hinata had a smirk on her face.

"Why don't you try wearing a different outfit for training?" Temari questioned.

Tenten had to grin at this suggestion. She had tried a different outfit a few times, one consisting of short _tight_ shorts, a sports bra, and a tee shirt which had been loose, hung off her shoulders and ended well above her navel. Neji had stared at her in wonder for a few moments then smirked. Part way through the day he had complained of the heat and taken his shirt off. Then they both got distracted and she almost took his eye out with a senbon.

"Yeah, it worked well but I'd rather not have us both distracted enough where I take out an eye," Tenten said.

All of them gaped. Tenten explained which sent them into fits of laughter. Tenten ate her ice cream. She had still worn the outfit the next day to training and didn't miss the grin Neji had given her or the way his eyes kept studying her. They had trained extensively with her Bo that day, especially when he took his shirt off again.

"Well I guess sharp pointy projectiles and distraction won't work," Temari said.

"Nope. Even if I use my Bo we tend to get caught up in non-sparring things," Tenten said.

They laughed again but Tenten didn't mind.

"Ladies, what's so funny?"

They all turned to see Kiba grinning at them with Akamaru at his side. Shino stood a little behind Kiba with Shikamaru. Shino and Shikamaru looked bored but Kiba's fangs were sticking out as he kept smiling.

"Girl stuff," Tenten said.

Kiba snorted but grabbed a chair from the table behind them, turned it so the back faced the girls, and settled it in with legs parted and one arm hanging over the back of the chair. Temari smirked, unimpressed, but Ino did study Kiba's leather clad legs. Tenten hated to admit how hot Kiba looked in the leather. She wanted to ask him to get Neji into a pair of tight leather pants, a mesh shirt, and maybe a leather vest.

Tenten blushed when Kiba gave her a look which consisted of a raised eyebrow and a smirk. Damn it, he thought she had the hots for him. Stupid Inuzuka senses.

"Anyway, what's on the agenda for you girls today?" Kiba questioned.

"Shopping," Ino said.

Sakura, Temari, and Hinata nodded happily. Tenten huffed. She would rather sharpen all her weapons than go shopping. Then again sharpening weapons wasn't a chore to her. Shopping was. It didn't make sense to Tenten. Why did she need so many pairs of useless heels and dresses she couldn't fight in?

"Pity,"

They all turned and Tenten grinned when Neji strode up to them looking as gorgeous as ever. She still disliked the fact he had gone from shorts and a short sleeved shirt to loose pants, a long sleeved loose shirt, and the weird man-skirt robe. At least in his genin outfit he had shown more skin.

"Why's it a pity?" Ino asked.

"Lee and Guy-sensei are back and they will likely be upset Tenten cannot come to say hello," Neji said.

Tenten wanted to jump for joy. Instead she nodded.

"Sorry, I should go say hi," Tenten said.

"No," Sakura whined. "Then they'll rope you into training for the rest of the day."

Tenten _really_ wouldn't mind. Being roped into training meant she could keep her money and got to hang out with Neji. The day was even warm enough where Neji might discard his shirt or he would at least get damp enough it would become somewhat clingy and see-through.

"He's my sensei," Tenten said.

"Fine, fine, try to meet us later at Junji's Dress Shop," Ino said.

Tenten nodded and finished her ice cream. She stood and deposited the proper amount of ryo onto the table before walking away with Neji. He said nothing but a little smile appeared on his lips. They made it to the training field within half an hour to see Lee and Guy all ready in their post mission training.

"Welcome back," Tenten called out.

"Tenten, our blossom! Neji, our genius!"

Guy-sensei ran up to her and hugged her. She took it with a laugh especially when Lee joined and pulled Neji into the hug. Neji let out his "hn" of annoyance but they all knew he wasn't annoyed, especially since the single syllable sounded more like his happy "hn."

"I hope you two have been keeping up on your training since Lee and I have been gone," Guy-sensei said.

"Of course," Neji told him.

Guy-sensei gave them a final squeeze before letting them go. Neji brushed off the shoulders of his shirt but had a little smile on his face. Guy-sensei demanded they show him what they had done and Neji nodded. Tenten grinned.

It was easy to fall into a sparring session with Neji. She flung weapon after weapon at him then decided to work with her Bo early. It meant closer contact and she could stare into his white eyes for as long as she wanted. Neji did not mind their change in tactics and Tenten didn't pay attention to Guy-sensei cheering them on or the fact Lee was oddly quiet.

Jab, swing, poke, slash, she continued trying to hit Neji with her Bo while he either blocked or shifted enough the weapon missed him by centimeters. Neji struck out where he could, fingertips brushing against her bare arms. She was glad she had decided to wear a tank top today. Really it wasn't a shirt she should be sparring in but she had intended to go out with the girls.

The tank top was clingy, white with a fire design on it, and showed a bit of cleavage Neji seemed to be distracted by. Tenten wore semi-tight black shorts with the shirt and the shorts ended at her mid-thighs. Neji also seemed to be sidetracked by her legs. Never mind she was in black flip flops she would have to kick off soon or risk losing her footing.

Too late.

Tenten's left foot skidded along the grass in a way she didn't want. Neji caught her Bo in one hand, a smirk coming to his face, as his other hand lashed out to finish it. Tenten frowned but aimed a kick towards his chest. He had nowhere to go unless he wanted to release her weapon. He didn't let go of her Bo and grunted when her kick landed on his sternum.

It made them both stumble backwards a bit but her Bo was still in his hand. Tenten flipped over his head, clinging to her weapon and forcing his arm back. He spun with her and smirked when they ended up face to face again. Tenten grinned at him and tried twirling out of his grip. He followed.

Sure she was impressed by the way he could keep up with her and counter her strikes with such dance-like moves but for _once_ she wanted to get her Bo out of his hands so she could smack him over the head with it. Tenten heard Guy-sensei shouting "Go Lee" and had a feeling this would be a three way fight soon.

Neji had heard as well if the little frown and slight furrowing of his brows was any indication. Tenten almost started laughing at him. She knew how much he enjoyed their sparring sessions and how he hated it when Lee "interrupted." They couldn't help it. Lee liked fighting with them. It was an expression of his youth.

Tenten saw a blur of green land right beside them. Neji still hadn't let go of her Bo. She knew she would have to switch weapons but didn't want to, not really. She loved her Bo. All thoughts of fighting tactics left her mind when Lee's hand went to the back of her head. She noticed Lee had placed his hand at the back of Neji's head as well. Tenten had a split second to wonder what Lee was on before Lee smashed their heads together.

No, whacked their _lips_ together. Oh crap.

"Start dating all ready and enjoy your youth!"

Tenten would have smacked him but Lee had let go. Neji hadn't. In fact, Neji had dropped her Bo to wrap one arm around her waist and rest one hand on her shoulder. Tenten felt her head swimming in delight and let go of her Bo so she could place both her hands on Neji's shoulders. From this position she could run her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. Tenten closed her eyes, noticing before she did Neji's eyes had slipped shut.

His lips were soft, warm, and _wow_ did he know how to kiss. He hadn't even opened his mouth yet and Tenten felt heat from her head all the way down to her toes. She wanted to rip their clothes off right then. She didn't want this moment to end.

Neji hummed into the kiss and pulled her until she was completely flush against him. She had _no_ problem with this and showed him by tugging at the hairs at the nape of his neck. He made a sort of purring sound and Tenten wanted to dance around in joy. It would mean breaking the kiss and she was so not doing that yet.

She did feel _odd_ though and not in a good way. Apparently Neji felt the same as when Tenten opened her eyes she met with his white ones. She reluctantly pulled her mouth away from his and turned her head to the right, Neji's left. Lee stood a foot and a half away with a grin on his face and a thumb up.

Tenten felt her entire face go red and saw Neji's cheeks turn deep pink. His Byakugan activated, his eyebrows narrowed, and he snarled. Tenten grinned at him and used her foot to get her Bo back up into her hands.

"Hey Lee," Tenten said.

Lee stared at her, still smiling. Oh he didn't realize how much trouble he was in.

"Yes?" Lee asked.

She spotted Neji smirking. She loved he was on the same wavelength as her.

"Do you know what time it is?" Neji questioned.

Tenten tightened the grip on her Bo and saw Neji's hands tensing. Lee still didn't get it and blinked, looking somewhat confused.

"Um, it's—" Lee started.

"Time to die you idiot!"

She wanted to laugh at Lee's horrified but somewhat amused expression as she and Neji had synced perfectly. Lee kept staring in wonder when Tenten raised her Bo and swung it towards his head. Neji's hands lashed out towards Lee's chest but he luckily dodged both (barely) then started running.

Tenten wanted to hug Lee for getting her and Neji to finally kiss, her first one too, but first she was going to kill him. Tenten saw Neji had the same thought in mind and grinned. Oh yeah, they were meant for each other.

* * *

 **Kill**

Their first B-Rank mission came two weeks after they had been promoted to chunin, Neji to jonin thanks to Gaara. Guy-sensei was out on an S-Rank mission but Tsunade-sama had simply grinned and said Neji would be in charge. It would be his first official mission as a team leader and Tenten couldn't help but grin. Lee had smacked Neji on the back in congratulations (once they were out of the Hokage's office) and Neji had given them a small smile.

"Our mission is to gather intelligence on the shinobi of the Hidden Rain Village," Neji said.

"We are to infiltrate their main Village and see for certain whether or not they are harbouring a member of the Akatsuki. We will leave in two hours. Pack supplies for two weeks and meet me at the gates."

"Yosh! We will burn brightly in our Springtime of Youth!"

Lee took off running. Neji snorted at Lee's departure but met her eyes. Tenten smiled, wishing the fluttery feeling in her stomach would go away. This was _not_ the time for her feelings for him to rear their head just because Neji had made jonin and was now going to be officially leading them. She would make sure this mission didn't fail no matter what.

Neji had a perfect mission record besides the Find and Return Sasuke mission. She would not be the reason he had to have a second black spot especially when he would be the one leading said mission.

"Tenten, ah," Neji started but stopped.

She blinked at him. Neji had a flush on his cheeks, light but still there.

"Um, when we leave Konoha, ah," Neji tried again.

He scowled. Tenten kept staring. He had something important to say but didn't want to insult her. She took his hand in both of hers and he smiled.

"I mean no offense when I say this but when we leave Konoha and for the duration of the mission _only_ , well, we cannot act as a couple," Neji said.

Oh. Well this made sense. Wait. It meant no holding hands, no kissing, no standing too close, no brushing his hair in the morning, and no teasing each other. Oh. Damn.

"Right, got it," Tenten said.

Neji inclined his head. Lee had smashed their faces together right before their second chunin exams, two months after the fateful fancy dress mission where Neji had finally realized how much he liked her. It had been difficult hiding their relationship during the chunin exams but luckily Lee knew about them and gave them some space when they asked. They couldn't do that on a _mission._

"Tenten?"

She kissed his cheek. Neji hummed and their lips met. Tenten sunk into the kiss, closing her eyes happily and wrapping her arms around his shoulders so her hands could run through the hair at the back of his neck. He pulled back too soon and Tenten realized they were at the front doors of the Hokage Tower where _anyone_ could see them.

Tenten felt her cheeks heat, saw Neji's go a deep shade of pink, and they pulled fully apart. Neji let out a little breath and ran a hand over his hair. Tenten cleared her throat but smiled.

"Right, none of that," Tenten said.

Neji smirked but nodded. They walked down the steps together then parted ways. Tenten tried not to think of how difficult it would be _not_ to touch Neji. Jeez, they had only been dating two months. She had to have _some_ control.

They met at the gates and left Konoha. Tenten kept her position behind Neji and focused on the area around them rather than her boyfriend's butt. Lee kept slightly ahead and did not see how Tenten's attention had been divided. Neji would know. He did have the Byakugan activated after all. Tenten sighed.

This would be a _long_ mission.

* * *

Two weeks went by and Tenten could not be happier they were headed back to Konoha. The mission had been a success and they knew for sure the Akatsuki had a base _somewhere_ in the Hidden Rain Village. Unfortunately they had been spotted so instead of calmly running back to Konoha they were running for their lives.

Tenten ran beside Neji and to the right while Lee took Neji's left side. Neji's Byakugan was activated, there was a scowl on his face, and his eyebrows were furrowed. He was not happy. Tenten didn't blame him.

Two weeks of being always damp and forced to share close corridors when they could not touch had been Hell. Then the stress of the actual mission and the general feeling of being constantly soaked because no, it _never_ stopped raining in the Hidden Rain Village. Now they were being chased by six jonin level shinobi, one of who they suspected to be a member of the Akatsuki.

The suspect Akatsuki shinobi had short blue hair with bangs that fell next to her cheeks, amber-orange eyes, a piercing under the middle of her full lower lip, and a rose, pale blue in color and made of paper on the right side of her head which concealed a small bun. She wore blue eye shadow, black skin tight pants and a blue kind of vest with a high collar. The vest split above her navel and the ends of it extended back like a sort of cape.

She didn't wear a hitai-ate but the Hidden Rain Village Shinobi followed her orders. Normally they wouldn't be running but this jonin made _paper_ peel off her skin to slice at them and attempt to engulf them. So far all of them had minute cuts over their outfits, even Neji.

Paper flew at them like senbon needles. Neji easily sunk into his Revolving Heaven which protected her and Lee as well as him. The paper stuck to his chakra though and he had to give up on the technique before he became surrounded. Tenten had to toss a few shuriken out so he had a clear escape path but even so a small square of paper sliced through his left cheek. Neji didn't even wince.

Water attacks came at them next, made worse because they were still in the Rain Country where there was _tones_ of water falling from the sky for the shinobi behind them to use. They dodged the attacks for the most part but Lee got hit in the lower back with a pillar of water. It sent him into a tree branch, stomach first, but he flipped off it and landed on a tree branch ahead with a wince.

Tenten scowled. Her expression became fiercer when they came to a large clearing with a lake in the middle of it. Well crap.

"Shortest way," Neji muttered.

"More room for us to fight in too," Tenten said.

"Hn,"

His agreement sound. Tenten smiled. She and Neji landed near the lake but Lee kept ahead. Tenten knew the stance and frowned. Lee had no choice.

"First Gate: Gate of Opening, Release!"

Tenten unleashed her Bo. Neji got into his fighting stance. The Rain Shinobi were at the edge of the tree line now.

"Second Gate: Gate of Healing, Release!"

The potential Akatsuki shinobi raised her hand which made the other five still. They watched from the tree line as Tenten spun her Bo, Neji allowed the chakra to seep over his hands, and Lee released the Gates.

"Third Gate: Gate of Life, Release!"

Lee's skin turned bright red. The grass and earth under his feet began to crumble and surround him from the sheer amount of power his body now produced. Blue waves of chakra wavered around his form as any rain landing on Lee's body sizzled upon impact. Green mist surrounded him and his eyes went completely white. The Akatsuki shinobi narrowed her eyes.

Lee let out a shout and attacked. So did the Rain Shinobi. Tenten easily stepped in the way of one while four went right to Lee. Neji got to tangle with the potential Akatsuki member which Tenten _knew_ was a bad match. Most all of Neji's attacks were close range and the blue-haired woman did not have to stay in close range.

As it was, the woman had formed giant wings out of her paper body and flown above Neji's head, releasing more paper to slice at him. He still dodged and employed the Mountain Crusher. The wind from his release of chakra blew the woman upwards and she widened her eyes in shock. Tenten snorted.

Lee had all ready decimated three of the four shinobi who had attacked him. One had his entire chest caved in from the force of one of Lee's kicks and had died from all of his ribs piercing every organ they were made to protect. The shocked look on the shinobi's face would remain forever.

Another had no head. Brain matter, blood, and bits of skull littered the area where the man's head should be but Lee had punched it off. The third's legs had been crushed. Lee had swiped the man's feet out from under him and ended up breaking every bone in the man's lower body, leaving him to suffer as the femoral artery bleed out from being pierced by the femur.

"Reverse Lotus," Lee shouted.

The fourth guy would be dead in a minute. Paper Lady smirked but dissolved into thousands of bits of paper. Instead of attacking, the paper took off. Tenten smacked her guy in the head, knocking him out, while Neji watched the potential Akatsuki escape. They couldn't go after her and they all knew it.

"Hn,"

Neji's disappointed sound. Tenten smirked but bent to tie up the man she had knocked out. They would bring him back to Konoha for questioning. Neji walked over to Lee who knelt on the grass, wincing in pain as he closed up the three gates he opened. She stood when finished tying the guy and was about to join her teammates when a flash of _something_ went by her.

The seconds which followed slowed for her as her eyes spotted the stream of water meant to pierce through all the rain. Her eyes widened when she saw the water headed _right towards Neji's blind spot._ Tenten reacted before she knew exactly what she was doing.

As she turned to face the enemy one hand tossed a kunai towards Neji outside of his blind spot but close enough he would duck out of the way, see the water, and move completely to avoid it. Her other hand went to a small scroll at her waist as her feet led her to the man who was now trying to escape.

No one would attempt to kill her boyfriend and get away with it if she could help it.

The Rain Shinobi kept running but Tenten had not spent the past three years of her life training under Guy-sensei for nothing. She leaped into the air, five feet behind the man who had tried to kill Neji, and unleashed her scroll.

Hundreds of small thumbnail sized balls flung out of her scroll and landed on the man, sticking to every bit of skin, cloth, or hair. She smirked and backed off as the shinobi stopped and stared at the black orbs. Tenten did not notice Neji, with Lee on his back, had caught up to her. If she had she might have thrown a kunai into the back of the man's neck and ignored her teammates' questions about the small balls.

"Bang," Tenten said as she formed the tiger seal.

The man exploded into bits as every ball was a tiny bomb. Blood rained down along with bits of skin hardly visible with a normal eye. Bone fragments that resembled slivers fell from the sky. Clothing had been completely evaporated as had any metal, plastic or other materials. As it was so had the man's internal organs and his skin had turned black.

There was literally _nothing_ left of the man who had tried to kill Neji except for a rain of blood which stopped after a few moments. The drops had been so scattered there was not even a pool of blood left to show anyone had been standing there seconds ago. The normal rain water would make any drop of blood soak into the ground. She had taken her first kill and obliterated any evidence of it in one shot.

"Ah," Neji said.

Tenten turned to see Neji standing on a tree branch to her left, jaw dropped, eyes wide, and eyebrows lost somewhere under his hitai-ate. Lee had the same expression on his face. Tenten rubbed the back of her head when she met Neji's eyes. She smiled.

"No one tries to kill my boyfriend."

* * *

"C'mon man, just tell us," Kiba said.

Okay, so Tenten hadn't been invited to the guy's night out. Sure, she probably shouldn't be sitting on the roof top of the building across from Naruto's while her boyfriend, teammate, and the other males got a little drunk and talked. She likely shouldn't have binoculars aimed to the open window either. And yeah, she probably shouldn't have stuck a wire on Neji.

Thing was, he had asked her to stick a wire on him simply because he tended to talk ( _a lot_ ) when he got a little drunk. Lee would never tell him what he said for fear of his life so Tenten had suggested the wire and to monitor him so she could pull him out if needed.

Neji was a bit more than a little drunk. Kiba had made sure of this. Neji hadn't complained and Lee hadn't noticed, too distracted he was by Naruto. It had probably been the plan. Tenten didn't mind her boyfriend getting a little drunk.

Then again Neji had a low tolerance for alcohol, nothing like Lee's but still pretty damned low. Tenten figured she should be embarrassed she could drink her boyfriend under the table and keep going but she didn't mind wearing the pants in some aspects of their relationship.

"Tell you what?" Neji asked.

Kiba rolled his eyes then grinned. Neji raised an eyebrow.

"What Tenten's first kill was like," Kiba replied.

They were still on it after all this time. Tenten smirked. She _had_ been the only one out of their group not to talk about her first kill. Tenten saw Lee, the single sober one, shaking his head. Poor guy couldn't even get tipsy which would suck.

"Why do you want to know?" Neji questioned.

He sipped his drink. Kiba opened his mouth but didn't get any words out before being interrupted.

"Because the answers of messy, interesting, efficient, unexpected, and amazing are no longer sufficient," Shino said.

Tenten snickered. Neji finished the drink in his hand and smiled. The guys knew this would be the time to see Neji smile and ask him whatever they wanted. His Hyuuga pride and decorum tanked when he got, well, tanked.

"You _really_ want to know?" Neji asked.

Shikamaru snorted. Choji nodded while eating his chips. Naruto and Kiba nodded happily. Shino raised a beer while Sai gave that stupid fake smile of his. Lee rubbed his temples. Neji grabbed another beer.

"She blew a man up," Neji said.

Silence. Kiba groaned and rubbed his forehead. Naruto deadpanned. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and muttered his catchphrase. Even Sai, Choji, and Shino looked disappointed.

"That's it?" Kiba questioned.

Neji chuckled. Lee shivered.

"It wasn't a single bomb. Oh no, she had all these tiny bombs stick all over the guy, like _hundreds,_ made the tiger seal and said 'bang.' The guy _evaporated_ , like rain of blood for a minute or two so fine the rain just washed it away. No trace of skin, bone, or _anything_ left. Just her saying 'bang' and nothing except this rain of blood. I couldn't even _find_ a trace of blood or body parts after. _Me_. Not finding a trace of this guy. He was just like, poof, gone," Neji said complete with hand motions.

Now all of them gaped with wide eyes and mouths, except Lee who kept nodding. Neji chuckled before taking a sip of his beer. He had the biggest smile on his face. Tenten wanted to kiss him but she would have to wait to do it later.

"Apparently no one tries to kill her boyfriend," Neji went on. "It was the scariest and sexiest thing I've ever seen her do."

Tenten grinned. She was glad her boyfriend had found those particular bombs sexy. She had been worried the rest of the way back to Konoha that he would dump her or something. He had simply nodded to her though and everything had progressed as normal.

"Seriously, it was so _hot_ : the little grin of victory on her face. And you know she wears that white shirt now and rain plus white, well, yeah. Trust me when I say it was a really _difficult_ mission. Plus she was kind of crouching in damp clothes so her pants were really tight over her butt. She has a great ass," Neji said.

Tenten rolled her eyes. Yep. It was time to extract her boyfriend from the party. Tenten jumped off the roof with a smile. At least they both agreed on yet another subject. Apparently they both had great asses.

Tenten giggled. She would never let Neji live this one down.

* * *

 **Time**

She had seen him running across the flat area of ground which used to be Konoha. Tenten watched him head towards their old training field and frowned. Hyuuga Neji rarely ran from his problems so when he did there would be something _seriously_ wrong.

Tenten wiped the sweat from her cheeks, not caring she was covered in dirt with leaves in her hair and sweat leaking down her pits and neck. Neji wouldn't care either. She put down the two by four she had been carrying and took off after Neji.

She knew what was wrong without even having to ask. Seeing the devastation around them had made him show a kind of fear she hadn't seen in a long time. She even had a pretty good idea of what had triggered him. He worked on digging up the remains of the Hyuuga compound and had likely seen his mementos buried or ruined in the dirt.

She easily leaped into the trees when she came to them and allowed her steps to lead her to her boyfriend. Tenten smirked when she found him right where she had expected to: in the clearing not far from their old training grounds.

His eyes were closed, his head down, and it looked as if he would cry at any moment. He leaned against one of the big trees Konoha was known for and kept his hands clenched at his sides and trembling. Despite digging in the dirt all day his outfit still had its pristine look and not a single hair stood out of place. She would ask him how he managed this one of these days.

Tenten saw him let out a long breath and shake his head. She jumped down from the tree, landing silently and gracefully at the edge of the clearing before whipping a kunai towards his head, two inches to the right of his ear. It hit the bark of the tree with a thunk which made Neji lift his head and open his eyes. She got to the edge of the clearing and knew she had a frown on her face. She hated seeing him so upset.

"Neji,"

"Tenten,"

His deep voice came out soft, slightly trembling, and she sighed before striding forward. He needed someone now but would never admit it. Her Neji would never admit to needing her near him but she knew. She always knew.

She looked up into his eyes when she got within six inches of him and inwardly smiled when he lowered his eyelids a bit so his eyes did not seem so intimidating. People thought Neji was a jerk but the little things he did, like the eyelid lowering, made her love him all the more. He had a sensitive soul but showed it to few people. Tenten like being one of the few people he showed this side to.

"What are you doing out here?" Tenten asked.

Neji frowned, almost a scowl, and considered. She liked he thought about his answers even to simple questions.

"Reflecting,"

So much in the single word but she knew what he meant. He thought about the destruction of their home and how utterly pointless it had been. Pain had gained nothing by obliterating Konoha except the fact he had pissed off a lot of powerful shinobi.

He thought about all the lost memories in the Village and how long it would take them to rebuild. He considered the fact even when they rebuilt Konoha wouldn't be the same, not really. Tenten nodded once and he blinked.

She blew the bangs out of her eyes and lowered her hands to take his into hers. Their hands were so different: hers calloused from her weapons with dirt under her broken nails while his were soft, smooth, and had perfect clean nails. She squeezed his hands gently and grinned inwardly when he returned the motion. They kept staring into each other's eyes.

"It's okay," Tenten said.

She knew she didn't have to say anything. Their body language spoke louder than any words they could say to each other. She knew him probably better than she knew herself but didn't mind. He knew her as well as she knew him. They clicked. They worked well together in every aspect of the word and Tenten could never, ever, find a better man to spend the rest of her life with. She wondered if he would ask the question soon and if his clan would put up a fuss.

Neji nodded at her. She smiled then got up on her tiptoes to kiss his mouth softly with her lips closed. She giggled to herself when his eyes fell shut. Tenten wanted to snicker and blush when his hands wrapped around her waist and drew her close.

Neji had always been her dream guy. She didn't even care he was transgender and they probably wouldn't be able to have kids or properly do it. She liked girls as much as she liked guys so being greeted with a vagina when they did get around to full blown sex was no problem.

His hands were clenching in the fabric of her shirt to keep her in place. She wrapped her arms around his chest to tangle in his hair, his _glorious_ hair. Tenten managed to hold back her shiver when he hummed into the kiss then opened his mouth.

Tenten opened her lips when Neji prodded for entrance then nibbled on his lower lip, knowing it drove him wild when she did. As expected, Neji clutched her harder and Tenten tried not to focus on how damp she was getting down below. She would have to avoid Kiba the rest of the day.

She pushed against him and let Neji win the battle for dominance going on in their mouths. He liked to win, something to do with male pride and Tenten didn't mind obliging him when he needed to feel male.

Tenten gasped when Neji ran his hands up and down her back. She thrust against him, hard, and closed her eyes. Damn did he ever know how to make her feel good! She shoved against him again and heard him fail in holding back a grunt.

Tenten kept pushing against him as his hands wandered along her back and to her hips. She didn't mind when his hands ran up her sides, towards her breasts. She did gasp when he rubbed the side swell of her breasts and kept pushing against him. She would need to change her panties, never mind staying away from Kiba.

Tenten needed to hold onto him before falling over. She grabbed his right shoulder hard and was about to grab the other but decided to hell with it. She had always wanted to grab Neji's ass so grab she did, the left cheek. Before he could laugh at her like she knew he would, she kissed him hard. He moaned into her mouth and Tenten held back a smirk.

Tenten rubbed the flesh in her hands and grinned in victory when Neji began to meet her thrust for thrust. Oh this was getting _hot._ She hadn't meant to comfort him like this when she came out here to find him but she had _no_ problem with their make-out session.

Tenten opened her eyes when his hands went _under_ her shirt. They hadn't done under the clothing. Oh shit. He'd grabbed her left breast. She felt his fingers against her back and almost froze when he began working on the clasp.

They were moving forward, that was for sure. Tenten found she didn't mind, not really, especially when he massaged her breast in one hand and kept thrusting against her so wonderfully. She did notice something important.

Neji had an issue in getting her bra off.

Tenten giggled at him but he said nothing. He had to stop rubbing her breast so both hands could work on the clasp and Tenten wished she could stop laughing. The smirk on his face when he got her bra undone didn't help calm her but when Neji's hands went _under_ her bra all she could do was inhale sharply.

He had started stroking her breasts, smooth fingers dancing across her nipples and Tenten bit back a moan. So, he wanted to play this game huh? Well she was not about to be outdone by him. Tenten shoved her hands down the back of his pants, past the weird man-skirt, the robes, and his underwear until she could grab his bare ass. She smirked when Neji let out a strangled gasp then kissed her.

Tenten shoved him harder against the tree and groaned when he got a knee between her legs to rub at her throbbing groin. Oh she could play this game too. Tenten squeezed his ass, god it felt so _nice,_ and gently pushed her knee up against his groin to rub him.

She almost laughed when he gasped and squeezed her breasts in his hands. A snort had escaped but she hid her expression by kissing his neck. Jeez he had such a smooth neck, soft skin everywhere which made her want to nibble. She gave into the need to taste him, wanting more.

Tenten pushed her body upwards so she could pull on his earlobe, knowing he loved it then felt his fingers dance over her nipples. She couldn't hold back her shiver or the hard bite she unintentionally gave to a spot under his ear when he rubbed his knee against her groin.

"Ow," Neji mumbled.

"Sorry, sorry, are you okay?"

Jeez, she hadn't meant to hurt him.

"Hn,"

This was his "yeah I'm fine, don't worry but watch it" sound. She kissed the bite mark and caught him smiling out of the corner of her eye. God she loved it when he smiled and showed him this by rubbing her knee against his groin and squeezing his perfect ass in her hands. He _trembled_ against her and Tenten couldn't help but grin.

She scowled when his hands disappeared from under her bra.

"What are you doing? I was, oh," Tenten said.

He was unclasping her shirt. Well no way was she about to be topless in front of him while he remained clothed. Hell, her shirt was all ready off and that wouldn't do. Tenten wished she didn't shudder when his hands ran up her bare sides but she did lick her lips.

Tenten worked the button out of the hole over his right shoulder and he helped her take off his shirt. He gave her another smile when she tossed his shirt over her shoulder. She almost laughed when his lips drew into a thin line. His fingers had gone under her bra straps and when their eyes met, she knew he asked permission.

She had seen him topless plenty of times since Neji had no issue taking off his shirt on the hot days when they trained. She knew his chest was home to sculpted abs, well formed pectorals, dark brown nipples, and two scars. Oddly there were no scars from having breasts removed but she figured something so simple could be healed easily. No hair graced his chest though, except for a little trail from his belly button down to the tempting 'v' his hips made and beyond.

And sure, he had seen her in a sports bra with a sorry excuse for a shirt overtop and short shorts. He had never seen her bare breasts and as typical, asked permission before they went any further. She loved he made sure anything and everything was okay with her before moving forward in any aspect of their relationship.

She smiled and nodded once despite her embarrassment. Besides, this was Neji, her _boyfriend_ and eventually he would see her naked. She didn't mind the thought, in fact, it made her _really_ wet.

She almost lost it again when he gulped before lowering the straps of her bra. The white cotton fell into his hands but he let it drop. Tenten had the sudden urge to cover her chest when his eyes landed on her bare breasts. She held onto his hips instead as he studied her.

She wondered if he liked what he saw. Maybe she was too small for his liking. Maybe her nipples looked weird to him. Maybe he had decided he liked guys and breasts were too weird to see on a bare chest.

Her thoughts stopped when Neji's head swooped down and took her right nipple into his mouth. _Holy shit!_

Tenten gasped and clutched his hips in her hands with the sort of force she knew would leave a bruise tomorrow. At least no one would see it. Oh fuck! He was rolling his tongue over her nipple! She twined a hand in his hair for something to ground herself with as he nuzzled her breast.

Oh my god, that _groan_ he gave! His hands had gone to her hips and were pushing her pants down. He wasn't getting far because of the super secret ties so she had mercy on him and undid them. It took some careful consideration to get her pants off without them tripping and falling and he had to stop sucking her nipple which was disappointing but they managed.

Nope. They didn't.

Tenten felt grass on her back and giggled when Neji caught his heavier body before he could squish her under his weight. He hummed at her before shifting to take her sandals off. Tenten grinned as she went to the man-skirt robe and tugged it off, tossing it to one side. His eyebrow came up as her hands attacked the knot at the front of his pants but it didn't look like he minded.

She wanted to see him, all the creamy white soft flesh exposed and had a feeling he knew it. His sandals disappeared somewhere but Tenten didn't care. They could hunt for their clothes later while everyone else worked and left them alone.

Tenten was momentarily distracted in her mission to rid Neji of his pants when one of his hands cupped her breast, a finger running over her nipple, and he went back to sucking on her other nipple. His other hand went under her panties at the hip and she bit her lip before tugging on the waist of his pants.

He shifted and she frowned when he had to stop sucking her nipple so his pants could join their discarded clothing. She wanted him against her so tugged him by his boxer shorts back into place. Neji's lips ended up on her nipple again and he _chuckled._

Oh my fuck that felt good! She shoved him as hard as she could and grinned inwardly when he ended up on his back on the grass. She was going to see every part of him, NOW. Tenten shifted out of his grip before grabbing his boxer shorts in both hands and yanking them off his waist, past his knees, and off his legs in one motion. She tossed them away and stared.

Neji went completely stiff as her eyes took in his heaving, sweaty chest, the cute little happy trail and the mound of hair above his cock.

Wait.

 _His cock_.

She felt her lips part and her eyes go wide. She felt the heat go from her cheeks all the way down her neck and to her nipples and wished she could stop gaping at him. She probably wasn't helping any kind of self confidence issue he might be having right now but she couldn't help it.

Neji had an honest to goodness _dick._ It was average in length, about six and a half inches but _thick_ , all hard and dripping precum. It didn't matter _what_ kind of surgery a female to male transgender person had, there was _no faking_ a stiff, leaking cock.

She grabbed it, wondering if it was some kind of genjutsu and heard Neji gasp. His hips came up and she knew this wasn't a genjutsu.

"Hey, it's real!"

Tenten grinned. She met Neji's eyes and saw confusion there. Oh shit. _She had said that out loud._ No, she couldn't have proclaimed the realness of his dick in front of...

"What?"

Oh my god she had! She sat back and straddled his legs, covering her mouth with one hand as she held his very real and very sexy dick in one hand. Neji sat up part way, resting on his elbows and tilted his head to one side slightly.

He _knew_ she was embarrassed and would know it came from not wanting to tell him what she meant. He was going to ask her any second now...

"Tenten, what do you mean it's real?"

Yep. She wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. She couldn't believe she had been wrong all this time about Neji being born in a female's body and wanting to be male. And here she had been tip-toeing around the entire issue like a dumbass. He kept staring at her.

She couldn't _not_ tell him. He would keep staring until she caved and really there were other more interesting things they could be doing than having some kind of weird, naked, staring contest. Tenten put the hand at her mouth on his happy trail and Neji shivered. She groaned and let out a breath:

"You know I've had this crush on you since the Academy, right? Well, for the entire time I kind of thought you were a girl, you know? Like, you had been born in a female body but identified as male, okay? I kind of _assumed_ when we did this for the first time I'd be greeted with a vagina instead of a penis and it's kind of um, surprising? Yeah, surprising. I'm not _bad_ surprised since I like guys and girls, but um, yeah."

Neji kept staring. Oh god, he still didn't get it.

"I wanted to be sensitive to your issues, you know? I didn't want to just come out and ask the other guys what was going on down there when you went bathing with them and—"

"Tenten,"

Oh good, he was stopping her rant. This couldn't get any more embarrassing at least. She bit her lip.

"So you were under the assumption I am transgender?"

She nodded. He started laughing at her, full out amused laughing, so she whined and swatted his chest. It wasn't fair he got to be entertained by her thinking he was a girl. She was about to tell him this but he kissed her and she kind of forgot to be upset. She also kind of forgot she wanted to stay on top but didn't mind really when Neji pushed her onto her back in the grass.

She did catch his wince and flushed when she realized she had still been holding him when he moved which might've pulled him a bit hard. At least she knew it wouldn't come off. She almost started laughing but his hands were tugging her panties off. He smirked when he caught sight of them and she couldn't help but blush as he tossed her sensible panties over his shoulder.

She didn't have a problem in his decision to kiss her, definitely didn't mind when he shifted to lie against her in full. She did have to spread her legs but damn was it worth it. Their groins were touching and there was all this _heat_ between them.

She did laugh when his hands went to her breasts. Typical boy. He hummed and left her mouth. She would have complained but he was kissing her jaw and the side of her throat. Oh fuck this felt good.

His lips were soft and he applied the _perfect_ amount of pressure to her throat and jaw. She ran her fingers in his hair but was stopped by his hitai-ate. Tenten frowned before untying the barrier and tossing it aside. She didn't realize exactly what she had done until she felt Neji stiffen and stop kissing her. Shit.

Tenten of all people should know how much Neji hated his curse seal. Sure he would walk around in the bathhouse without his hitai-ate on but it made him uncomfortable. Tenten had to let him know she didn't mind and he didn't have to be embarrassed to be so exposed in front of her.

She tilted his head up and kissed his forehead. Neji relaxed and Tenten let out a little breath. He started kissing her neck again, across her collarbones but he didn't stick with just kisses. Oh no. He _licked_ and _bit_ her flesh as well as giving her innocent pecks. Son of a bitch!

She ran her fingers over his scalp, knowing how much he loved having his hair played with and felt how hard his cock was against her body. It left a wet spot on her flesh but she didn't mind. Hell, she would soak the grass under them pretty damn soon.

She almost laughed again when Neji kept his head between her breasts but damn it he was sucking and nibbling at the skin of her breasts and the valley between them. She started bucking her hips against him and he pushed back, matching her pace. Damn he was good and Tenten tried not to think of how many other women he had been with before they got together.

He was moving down, biting and licking as he did and she could only watch in wonder. No _way_ he was about to go down on her. Guys just didn't do that, well, according to Ino anyway. They had to be _asked_ to go down and rewarded with blow jobs or hand jobs. Tenten tightened her grip in his hair. She had to make sure he was _really_ about to do this willingly.

Tenten flushed when he shifted his face up to stare at her. Holy crap he was so _handsome_.

His skin was perfectly smooth and pale like marble but not cold looking, especially not in this moment. His normally perfect hair was mused, the bangs hanging around those wonderfully high cheek bones in messy chunks. His lips were pinker than normal and swollen, damp, and she wanted so bad to tug him back up to kiss him. God damn those eyes, so pretty like little moons and _heated_ because of their actions.

Right.

She had to ask him if he was about to go down on her without her having to ask. She wanted to keep staring at him all day. Man, she needed to bring a camera next time. No one could argue about Neji having no emotion when he looked like this. His chest heaved, his lips were parted, and oh fuck he _looked_ like he wanted to pound her senseless in a good way.

Right. She had a question for him.

"Where are you going?"

Neji raised one of those perfect, elegant eyebrows at her as if it was obvious. The ghost of a smirk played on his lips and she wanted to smack him for it but he spoke:

"Down,"

Oh my god! He was about to go down on her without her needing to ask. She felt her cheeks get hotter but let go of his scalp. Neji hummed at her before lowering his head and continuing down her waist. She shouted when he dipped his tongue into her belly button. Crap, she'd really pushed hard against his hips. Ah man, it was hard not clenching her fists in his hair so he couldn't move.

Tenten groaned. She knew Neji rarely got distracted but he seemed to be sidetracked by her belly button. He kept nibbling at it, licking, sucking, kissing it as if it was her mouth and all she could do was wrap her legs around his waist, rotate her hips up, and hope to _fuck_ she didn't leave a bruise on his back with how hard she dug her heels into his back.

She looked down when she felt his hands on her hips and he smiled at her. He kissed her belly button one last time and kept moving _down._ Fuck, fuck, fuck, he was so not about to eat her out. No way. Oh wow, the way he _stared_ up at her when he kissed her mound. Oh god, he was kissing her pubic hair.

Oh shit, he lifted his head away from her pubes and opened her legs then _looked up, right at her_. She wanted to shut her legs and run away. She wanted to pull him back up by the hair to tell him he didn't have to do...

He licked his lips.

Fuck.

She couldn't help but smile. She would smack him later for chuckling at her in that prideful way of his but he _looked_ at her lower lips. Tenten whined to let him know she was embarrassed but he didn't seem to care.

He kept staring for several moments and Tenten wondered if this was payback for gaping at his dick earlier. She jolted when Neji _touched_ her mound, lightly running a finger along her pubic hair. Ah crap! She'd dug her heels into his back again but it didn't seem like he cared too much. Good. At least she wouldn't feel bad about the bruise she'd leave him with.

Tenten wanted to smack him when he chuckled again but he took a deep breath and leaned forward. Tenten inhaled too hard and choked on her spit. She didn't feel him anymore and spotted he had glanced up to see what was wrong. Oh that was so not right.

She pushed his head back down but caught the _pleased_ smirk on his face. Before she could think of chiding him, he kissed her lower lips. _Shit!_

She pulled his hair, likely too hard but he didn't complain. Oh my god, he was pushing his tongue into her. Oh the little bastard was laughing happily at his success in making her come undone like this. _Shit!_ He was _sucking on her clit!_

He was also looking right at her but she couldn't concentrate on that. She pulled his hair again and _felt_ his cock twitch against her leg. Oh, so he _liked_ having his hair pulled. She would remember that.

She groaned when he moved away from her clit to lick her folds but _oh fuck_ he was rubbing her clit with his nose. She kept pushing her hips towards him and felt him holding her down by the hips. Hell, she was going to have bruises tomorrow. She pushed his head down as he kept sucking and licking. Oh crap, good thing they weren't somewhere in Konoha right now.

She kept moaning and groaning, _loudly_ as if she was some kind of whore but had a feeling Neji didn't mind. No, he would be enjoying this, the arrogant pretend jerk. She tugged his hair again and felt his cock twitch. Tenten grinned at the reaction and jerked on the soft, so wonderfully soft strands in her hands.

Shit, shit, shit, she's so damned close! She could feel the beads of sweat trailing down her forehead and cheeks, the grass sticking to her back, and the _heat_ in her groin. She would bite her damned lip off in a minute. Her entire body was clenching hard, every muscle tense as she's _almost there._ Sweat kept pouring out between her breasts and she could feel how tense her nipples were in the cool air around them.

Tenten didn't care how hard she's digging her heels into his spine, knowing he can take it. She didn't care how hard she's pulling his hair though she would regret it if she pulled out even one strand of his glorious brown locks. Something _snapped_ and she sputtered out his name.

Oh shit, he's still _licking_ at her as she shivers and rides out her orgasm. She feels his hands have moved to her upper thighs now and is glad he's strong enough to keep her from suffocating him with her legs. Tenten can't control the trusts of her hips but does drape her right arm over her eyes so maybe, _maybe_ she can gain some semblance of order in her mind.

Tenten came down from her high and lay there panting, knowing her Neji would be damned proud of himself for making her release like that. Oh. She was still massaging his scalp with her left hand. At least her legs had gone all boneless so she wouldn't crush his head.

"I can't believe you did that," Tenten got out.

"Why?"

He had to _ask?_ Tenten lowered her arm and lifted his chin so she could look into his eyes. His eyebrow came up as she studied his face and she desperately wanted to take a picture. Neji's lips were all puffed up in a sexy way, pink, and soaked with her juices. His cheeks were flush and oh my god there was a wet spot on his nose from where he had been rubbing her clit. There was another one on his chin.

Neji licked his lips and she grinned at him. Oh yeah, he looked _hot_ all flushed like this, covered in her juices with his hair falling around him in tangles. She would get to brush out his hair too. That would be awesome. Oh yeah. She should probably answer his question.

"Normally guys don't want to bother with that, so I've heard from reliable sources,"

Neji snorted and the arrogant look came over his face. She had started to love this look on him. He was too damned sexy.

"Since when am I like other guys?"

Tenten couldn't help but giggle. He had a damn good point. Neji wasn't like other guys and she adored this about him. She ran her thumb over his nose and he blinked, confused. She almost laughed at him but he smirked. Damn him and making her blush. She was going to kiss that smirk off his face.

She tugged on his hair and he hummed at her, seeming content to lounge between her legs. She didn't mind, not really, but damn it she wanted to kiss him. She also wanted _him_ to get some kind of relief. If his cock could talk it would be begging to be inside her and she had no issue in letting that happen.

"Up," Tenten said.

He chuckled, arrogant pretend jerk, but shifted upwards until he lay flush against her. Their lips met and wow was this ever hot. She broke the kiss to better wrap her legs around his waist and shift against his groin to let him know her intentions. Neji shut his eyes, groaning in a _sexy_ way and she grinned.

"In," Tenten said.

He stiffed and his eyes went wide. He gulped. Tenten wanted to coo at him but knew he would not appreciate it right now. Wow, he looked terrified at the prospect of getting inside her. Maybe he _hadn't_ been with another woman.

Nah.

This was Hyuuga Fucking Neji, sexiest guy in Konoha, and one of the first guys in the Village to be used for his looks on a mission. He had to have experience, more than her, in this area.

"Neji,"

He shivered when she whispered his name in his ear and their eyes met. She tilted her head to a side and stared. Why would he be so nervous? The way he'd eaten her out told her he _had_ been with someone at some point. Oh my god, he was blushing!

"I, um, I have never been, well, _in,_ " Neji said.

Tenten felt her eyebrows go up and wished she didn't smile. He was a virgin. Oh wow. She hadn't expected Neji to be a virgin like her. Tenten put a hand to the back of his head to kiss him. She was glad when he relaxed into the kiss. Now he was distracted.

She ran his hand lightly over his side and wrapped it around his cock. He jolted in shock and gasped. Ha, she'd never seen him so surprised.

"It's okay. No one's been in me before but I want you there,"

His eyes stayed wider than normal, even for him, but he did nod. She guided him towards her slick opening and he didn't complain. She did have to move her hand so he could push forward.

 _Holy hell that hurt!_

Tenten dug her nails into his scalp and thankfully Neji stopped moving forward. She tried not to wince especially when his eyes opened and met hers but she couldn't help it. He gulped again. Ah man, he was maybe a third of the way in and it damned well hurt. Wait, he was _pulling out!_

No way in _Hell_ was she going to abort this after that kind of pain. She tightened her legs around him to keep him in place. Her first time was supposed to hurt. Plus he was thick. Tenten let out a breath and opened her eyes to see how concerned he was. Huh. She didn't remember closing her eyes.

"It's okay," Tenten told him.

"But I'm hurting you," Neji said.

A contraction. Neji rarely used contractions and when he did he was being human. Tenten wanted to snuggle against him and giggle but he would get confused. Instead, she gave him a little smile.

"It's a _good_ kind of pain," she lied.

She watched as he frowned. Tenten pushed her heels into his body to get him to keep moving. She moaned when Neji kissed her deeply and his hands went back to her breasts. Oh my god he had great hands! Tenten couldn't keep her eyes open as she thrust up into him and felt him sink in a little deeper. It didn't hurt so much, not while he played with her breasts.

She ran a hand through his hair, over and over to give him some kind of pleasure and before she knew it he was in to the hilt. Wow. She had never felt this full. It was a _good_ kind of feeling. Too bad the snap of her hymen had damned well hurt.

Neji pulled back and she took a deep breath as he rubbed her nipples between his fingers. She had grabbed his ass at some point and kept her other hand in his hair. She opened her eyes to meet his and smiled.

"Are you all right?" Neji asked.

Aw, he was so sweet in worrying over her.

"That last inch or two really hurt but it's okay. You broke my hymen," Tenten said.

Neji blushed. Oh wow did he ever look adorable when he blushed. She couldn't help giggling at him. Even so, he should be moving right now. Jeez, neither of them would get relief with him just sitting in her. She smacked his ass and he yelped in an undignified way. Oh yeah, she _definitely_ liked it when he was all frazzled and naked.

"Move," Tenten told him.

He nodded and shifted his hips. She shouted, noticing he had gasped. _Holy fuck!_

Tenten hardly noticed Neji wrap his arms around her but she did notice him thrusting hard and fast into her. Again she was _really_ glad they weren't in a room somewhere because she would be the sole reason they would be getting noise complaints.

Oh wait. No she wouldn't.

Neji was _growling_ and grunting with every thrust of his hips. Holy crap that was hot. She kissed him hard and he moaned into her throat.

He _filled_ her with heat in a way she had never felt before. All she could do was let him shove her hard into the grass and rake her nails along his ass cheek, pulling firmly on his hair as curses, his name, and wordless shouts fell from her lips with every motion of his hips.

She heard him gasp, probably almost choking and he _screamed_. Oh my god she had no idea he could be so loud. His shout, along with the few extra thrusts, the trembling of his body made her cry out his name and shiver along with him.

Tenten held onto him as he started falling and shifted. They ended up alongside each other as she had refused to let go of his perfect ass and his gorgeous hair. Tenten managed to get her eyes half open to see Neji had closed his and was panting hard.

She stared into his eyes when he half opened them, breathing into his face but he didn't care. Wow he looked good, cheeks all flush, lips damp and parted to he could (vainly) try to catch his breath, eyes bright with pleasure, and body shivering. She shifted so their noses could touch and caught his lips curling into a smile.

"Wow," Tenten said.

Neji chuckled but he kissed the tip of her nose so he wasn't being too much of a prideful little bugger. She grinned at him and he kept smiling. She loved it when he smiled like this. It made him look so sexy but she would never make him smile in public. Oh no. Neji's smiles were all for her, especially these "we just had mind-blowing sex" smiles.

She didn't drop her gaze from his but did unclench her hand from his ass. Oh wow. She had really raked her nails on his ass.

"I think I scratched up your butt," Tenten said.

He snickered at her but again kissed her nose so she wouldn't smack him. Jeez he knew her too well.

"It's fine," Neji said.

Another contraction. Damn, she was on a roll.

"No it's not. I like your butt," Tenten said.

She was _so not_ pouting. Neji laughed at her. Yeah, okay, maybe she was pouting.

"I remember you saying you always look at a person's butt first," Neji said.

Oh my god! She couldn't _believe_ he remembered that! Of course, this _was_ Hyuuga Neji. She swatted him but he kept laughing so she pushed him onto his back and straddled him with a grin. He gasped and _groaned_ when she shifted so he could be inside her again.

There was no pain this time and she moaned as she settled onto his lap. Her hands ended up on his chest so she didn't collapse into him right away and she noticed she was touching the edges of his scar. Their eyes met and she knew how to get him back for that last comment.

She took off her hitai-ate with one hand and tossed it aside. She shifted on his lap, trying not to show how _good_ it had felt before reaching up with both hands to take down her right bun. She kept her grin back as he stared, lips parted, panting, and his eyes completely focused on the way her hair fell down her back and around her arms until it tickled against her hips. She still managed to keep from smiling as she took down her other bun.

Neji was completely entranced with her hair as she knew he would've been. The smile on his face made her body throb around him and she almost lost it right there when he reached up to run his fingers through her hair.

"You like?" Tenten asked.

"Pretty," Neji muttered.

She couldn't stop from grinning. She did lower her head so Neji could better run his fingers through her hair because damn he had good hands. She laughed at him, knowing how he felt when he ate her out, and kissed him. Neji shifted his hips upwards and she purred into his mouth before shifting her hips in a way she had a feeling would drive him crazy.

"Fuck!"

Tenten almost stopped right there when the f-bomb dropped from Neji's lips.

"I've never heard you swear before," Tenten told him.

It had been all kinds of hot too and the look of confusion on his face was totally worth it. He pulled her down to kiss but she didn't mind one bit. She moved her hips against his, rotating, shifting, thrusting, and he gasped. Tenten grinned as she leaned into him, making sure her breath skirted over his cheek as she ran her hands up and down his chest.

She wondered if his nipples were as sensitive as hers and pinched them. She was rewarded by him arching upwards and groaning. Oh that felt _nice._ Tenten grinned as she bit his earlobe. His hands were on her hips but clutching hard to keep him grounded. Oh man, knowing she made him lose control like this...

"Shit!"

Tenten gasped as Neji swore a second time. She dug her nails into his chest as she rode the wave of pleasure soaking her. She didn't even notice she had fallen on top of him until her breasts squashed firmly against his chest. She was breathing into his right ear and her hands were trembling on his shoulders. He had wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her in place on his lap.

"Wow," Neji said.

Well, _yeah_ , he had sworn twice. She chuckled at him and was rewarded with a kiss. She nibbled on his lower lip, teasing, and he hummed before rolling on top of her so swiftly she let out a gasp. He didn't move his hips but Tenten had a feeling he would be spent for a few minutes at least.

Still. The kissing felt _awesome_ and man did she love running her hands through his hair. She really liked going right to the ends so she could rub his butt. He had such a touch worthy bum. He kept playing with her breasts and she squirmed under him then playfully pinched his nipples. Neji smiled and Tenten kissed him again.

Okay, so she had totally done the whole cliché sex thing to take his mind off his sad thoughts. She didn't care. She had gotten to hear him swear, seen him smile, watch him lose control in a good way, and been with him on the most intimate level.

It was totally worth it.

* * *

 **Notes:** So the "Come my children" line Guy says in "hug" was inspired by this comic I found in my travels. Basically Guy says "Come flock to me my children" and holds out his arms for a hug. Lee and Tenten go hug him while Neji's all like "I am not your child" and Guy starts crying. *cough*

SO, based on comments I get I may continue this series so long as the 'first' for anyone mentions can be done for all four members of Team Guy.

Which means things like pregnancy, kid, marriage, and break-up won't work. I'm sticking (mostly) to canon on this which means yes, Neji _dies_ in the war as based on the "Twenty Truths of Team Guy" fiction I wrote. Therefore Neji wouldn't go through pregnancy, marriage, kid or break-up in the examples I used. I might do "fight" for all four of them though. We'll see as I'm working on a longer piece of fiction for Neji X Tenten right now.

Regardless, I'll leave this as incomplete for, well, however long I feel.

Anyway, reviews welcome.


	5. Hospital Visit

**Visit**

 **Author's Notes:** I lied about the last chapter (Tenten) being the last chapter. Shhh. Don't tell. *winks*

This will be a group chapter, meaning Neji, Lee, Guy, and Tenten will have their first visit in this crazy long chapter.

 **General Warning:** made up timelines, OOCness, swearing, and all that other fun stuff. Goes along with the other four chapters (obviously) and is in the _Twenty Truths of Team Guy_ universe which follows the canon so Neji does (eventually) die.

I don't own the characters but I like messing with them.

* * *

 **Hyuuga Neji**

Contrary to popular belief, Neji's first hospital visit was not when he almost died thanks to Kidomaru. No, that was his third. His second was after his fight with Naruto in the chunin exams. His first was six months after he had joined Team Guy which was well before the first chunin exams so Neji still tolerated his teammates, Tenten most of all, but wasn't enthused about them.

It was a typical day for Neji: get up at three, groggily shower, blearily dry off, get dressed while mostly awake, eat a light breakfast then head to the training fields by four. He sat under one of Tenten's targets to meditate for twenty minutes until the thunk of her weapon above his head woke him up.

Neji opened his eyes, not daring to admit to the bun-haired girl he may have been sleeping this time around, and got to his feet. He pulled the kunai out of the target with his back turned to her to hide a yawn. Once he was finished yawning Neji turned and approached a smiling Tenten. He handed her the kunai, handle towards her with a soft smile.

"Good morning," Neji said.

"Morning, we're going on a mission today," Tenten returned.

Ah yes. They would be going on a mission today. Neji thought little of it as he knew it would be some D-rank mission which involved walking dogs, weeding or fixing something or another. He disliked the D-rank missions since they were shinobi for crying out loud but there was nothing which could be done about it.

Neji had a feeling Guy was still iffy about going on C-rank missions since Neji had taken his first kill on their last one. Neji was over the kill. He had to do it to protect the client. Besides, Neji hadn't told Guy he still saw the enemy's slack face in his dreams sometimes.

"What do you think we'll be doing?" Tenten questioned.

"Besides going crazy in one of Guy's challenges, nothing extreme I am sure," Neji said.

Tenten gaped at him then started giggling. Neji crossed his arms loosely over his chest and raised an eyebrow at her as she laughed.

"You made a joke," Tenten said.

Neji blinked. He had made a joke. Unintentionally but he had done it. Neji turned this around in his head a few times then shrugged. Tenten patted his shoulder then jumped when Lee and Guy-sensei appeared in the field, shouting about youthful missions. Guy-sensei had the mission folder in his hands and Neji had to squint since Guy-sensei and Lee were smiling too brightly.

"My precious students! Today you will embark on a mission of youth, vigor, and power! Today you will be undertaking the challenge of protecting the future of Konoha!"

Neji stared at Guy-sensei as Lee fist pumped with every exclamation of Guy-sensei's speech. Guy-sensei kept going and Neji looked over at Tenten. Her shoulders were sagged, arms loose at her side and her eyes were narrowed. She looked half annoyed and half flabbergasted. Guy-sensei could do that to a person.

"And you shall bask in the glories of youth!" Guy-sensei finished.

"Yosh!" Lee proclaimed.

"What is the mission?" Neji questioned.

Guy-sensei almost knocked him over to hand him the folder but Neji quickly took half a step back and grabbed the folder in one hand. Of course he was considered the team lead. Neji opened the folder but before he could read a word, Guy-sensei summarized it:

"Daycare duty!"

"Yosh!"

Neji raised an eyebrow then frowned as he looked over the contents of the folder. Guy-sensei wasn't kidding. He, Tenten, and Lee would be going to Konoha's local daycare for nine and spend their day watching children between the ages of six months to three years until five in the afternoon.

"Wha?" Tenten said in awe.

She was as confused as him. He felt a bit better knowing the fact he wasn't alone in being perplexed of why they had suddenly gone from shinobi to babysitters. Why in the world a daycare would need three genin was entirely lost on Neji.

"Why do they need us?" Neji asked.

"They are short-staffed today: one is having her baby a month early, another has the flu, and the third had to go see her mother who slipped and fell last night. It leaves solely the owner of the daycare and she needs assistance," Guy-sensei said.

He was beaming. Neji sighed heavily. Of course civilian children had school and the woman probably couldn't go pick a person off the street to do this. Who better then three genin? Neji inclined his head.

"Now, before this mission you will need special training," Guy-sensei said.

A flock of birds flew out of the trees at his shout. Neji refrained from shaking his head to clear it like Tenten. He stared at the backpack Guy-sensei whipped in front of him then scowled when Guy-sensei pulled three life-like baby dolls out of his backpack. Neji took his and held it by one foot. Tenten held hers by the head. Lee was the one who cradled his while Guy-sensei pointed to Neji and Tenten with horror on his face.

"This is why you need training," Guy-sensei said.

Neji huffed before putting the file in his bag and holding the fake doll properly. Tenten groaned and did the same. Guy-sensei clapped and out came bottles, diapers, and baby clothes. Neji had a feeling this was going to be the longest training session of his life.

* * *

What felt like a week later, Neji strode towards the front door of the daycare. It had been four hours but for Neji the morning felt like it was stuck in a loop with Guy-sensei showing them how to properly change a baby, dress a baby, feed a baby, and all the other concepts Neji did not want to bother with being twelve and hating his clan. He had no interest in having children as they would be Caged Birds like him.

Neji opened the door and spotted Yamaoka Miyo, the owner of the daycare. She stood a little taller than Neji and had brown hair pulled into a neat bun at the back of her head. Her eyes were hazel and she wore a pair of gray pants and a colorful blouse. She smiled when she saw them and Neji let out a breath.

"Hello. I am Hyuuga Neji and these are my teammates Tenten and Rock Lee," Neji said.

Lee gave a Nice Guy pose and Tenten smiled. Neji decided it best to ignore Lee.

"Nice to meet you and Neji but you may want to tie your hair up. But, thank you all for coming today. A few of my little ones are all ready here," Miyo said.

She gestured to the wide open space to her left and Neji tried not to frown. Six children were in the play room. Two older ones, a boy and a girl no more than three were coloring at a low table. One sat in front of a block set, a boy, while another boy pushed around a toy train. The final two, girls, were playing with dolls.

"Now, we have snack time at nine-thirty, lunch at noon, nap time at one-thirty then another snack at three. Parents start coming between four and five to pick up their children," Miyo said.

Neji inclined his head at the easy schedule. Lee was writing it down in his notebook. Tenten's eyes were wide and her lips slightly parted. Neji had no idea why she seemed so stunned.

"The kitchen is to our right along with the bathroom. Snacks are usually cheese and crackers or fruit. No one has any allergies but there are a few who may be a little picky about snacks. The naptime mats are against the wall. I'm going to be in and out all day either getting new supplies or working on the business side of things. I'll make sure I'm back by three, okay?" Miyo questioned.

She was going to leave them _alone_ with the children. Neji swallowed a bit harder than necessary but nodded. Miyo thanked them before waving good-bye to the kids who hardly glanced her way then out the door she went. Neji stared between the closed door and the children with a frown.

"Er, now what?" Tenten asked.

He had no idea. The six children were entertaining themselves so all he and his team had to do was watch. Neji took a deep breath then let it out slowly while trying to ignore the fact Tenten and Lee were waiting for him to speak.

"We watch them," Neji said.

Lee grinned before running into the room and sitting in front of the two who were coloring. He introduced himself with a huge grin. The little girl smiled back at him before handing him a piece of paper and a crayon. Neji blinked.

"Right," Tenten muttered.

She walked into the room like it was covered with unseen traps then sat beside the two girls playing with dolls. They gave her one and she blinked before shrugging and joining in on the game. Neji was left with the child playing with the blocks or the child puttering around the room with the train. He set his bag by the door to the kitchen and almost jumped out of his skin when the door opened.

A mother with a _baby_ came into the day care and glanced at him. For a moment they had an awkward staring contest but Neji got his senses back.

"Hello. I am Neji, Ms Miyo is out now but I am helping to fill in," Neji said.

The mother stared at his hitai-ate then nodded, a smile coming to her face. The baby in her arms cooed and Neji almost fell on his face when she offered him her child. Neji took the baby in his arms and cradled it to his chest as the mother put a bag on the floor.

"I brought extra diapers and Kata's bottles. Thanks so much. Have a good day Kata," the mother said.

She kissed her daughter's head then off she went. Neji blinked after her then stared down at the infant in his arms. Kata's little arms waved through the air as she studied the world around her. The hair on her head was pale brown, wispy, and Neji figured she was about six months. He took a light breath then shifted Kata's so she was against his chest and shoulder, supported by one hand.

He winced when she tugged on his hair but made no remark before picking up the bag with Kata's supplies and putting it into the kitchen. Again the door opened and Neji stared as another toddler was brought in. More introductions and Neji held the hand of Roku as Roku's father went off to work.

Neji ignored the twisting in his gut as he led Roku over to the play area. The little boy happily sat at the coloring table with Lee and again the door opened. Neji felt another tug at his hair and let out a breath before going back to the door to retrieve another baby. At least this one was in a bassinet he was able to put beside Tenten.

Her eyes went wide but she made no remark. The two little girls with her dropped their dolls and began cooing at the baby. The door opened again. Neji gulped and had a feeling this was going to be a long day.

"Lee, help would be appreciated,"

Neji tried again (and failed) to dislodge Kata's tiny hand from his hair as he attempted to feed one of the other children a cracker. The boy in front of him, Toshiro, was a picky eater and would not accept the cheese and crackers unless Neji gave it to him. Two little girls were doing _something_ to his hair (thankfully he had spotted no scissors in the direct area) and Neji had a baby crying beside him.

Tenten was busy holding a crying girl who had fallen while chasing around a boy who had stolen a box of cookies. The boy avoided her grasp solely because he was smaller and could duck under the low tables and the indoor play area where Tenten couldn't. Four of the other children were sitting in the painting area _covered_ in paint while there was a girl coloring on the walls.

Lee was running around the room playing tag with three children which was fine, really, when Neji didn't have a screaming baby on one side, one pulling his hair, two playing with his hair, and Toshiro. Lee skidded to a stop, saw Neji's issue then came over while the three kids kept playing tag. Tenten retrieved the cookies and the boy burst into tears.

"Ah?" Lee tried.

"Feed the baby," Neji said. "And see if you can stop Ina from coloring on the walls."

"Yosh!"

Neji let out a breath of relief when Lee took the baby and a bottle then went over to Ina. Kami it was hardly ten. They still had to deal with lunch, nap-time, and another snack before Miyo would be back. Neji didn't know if he could make it.

Tenten had placated the boy with a cookie as well as the crying girl. Both were happily set to munch on their cookies and she caught sight of the four painters. Neji saw Tenten let out a huge breath but she put the cookies on a high counter before going over to the painters. At least the four had white smocks on.

"Done!" Toshiro exclaimed.

Thank Kami the boy was full. Neji watched as Toshiro got to his feet and began running around with the other kids playing tag. Kata pulled his hair again and he sighed. This time he managed to get her hand out of his hair but she started crying. Neji groaned and let go of her hand. She snagged his hair again then started sucking on it.

"Bows," one of the girls behind him said.

He activated Byakugan to see the little girls were putting bows in his hair. Now he understood why Miyo had told him to tie his hair. Neji also spotted one little boy in the kitchen climbing a chair. He couldn't stand lest his pull the girls along with him by the hair and saw Tenten walking away from the painters who were making a mess. The mess was on the plastic sheet on that area of the floor and on smocks. He would ignore the paint on the kids' faces and hands for now.

"Tenten, kitchen, climbing," Neji said.

Tenten was off a moment later and Neji watched as she scooped the boy off the chair and brought him back into the main playing area. Lee had gotten Ida to color on paper along with another little girl. Toshiro ran into a wall, fell on his ass, and started crying. No small wonder Miyo had three people working here in the day.

Lee got to Toshiro first, the baby still in his arms and sat beside the boy, saying something. Toshiro sniffled then smiled before hugging Lee and getting back to his feet. One of the boys playing tag had stopped in the middle of the room in a kind of squatting position and had a look of concentration on his face. He stood after a moment and Neji _knew_ what had happened before the boy shouted it:

"I poop!"

Neji tried not to grin when Tenten saw both he _and_ Lee were occupied. She groaned but picked the boy up before walking away with him to the bathroom. Neji couldn't remember if that particular boy wore diapers or not but was glad he wasn't going to be the one to find out.

"Diaper icky," one of the girls behind him said.

Neji let out a breath and turned off his Byakugan before looking at the girl. She had lifted her dress up and was poking at her diaper. The other girl was looking at her but went back to brushing Neji's hair with a little pink doll brush. Neji had to pull his hair out of Kata's mouth then watched in wonder (and a bit of awe) as the little girl whipped off her diaper in one smooth motion.

The diaper landed on the floor, thankfully face up so there was no mess and Neji let out a breath. He got to his feet, much to the other little girl's displeasure but retrieved a diaper, changing mat, wipes and baby powder. The little girl who had taken off her diaper had pulled up her dress and was waiting for Neji.

Neji put down the matt and she laid down on it. Neji sat Kata beside him and she grabbed onto his hair for support while the other little girl went back to playing with his hair. Neji wiped the girl in front of him, powdered her then put on the new diaper before rolling up the dirty one. She thanked him as she stood and pulled her dress back in place.

"I throw," she said.

Neji watched her run to the garbage to throw her dirty diaper out. Kami, if only all kids were like her. He let the changing mat where it was since the other little girl or Kata would need a diaper change with his luck then pulled Kata into his lap. She came easily and kept her eyes on him as she played with a hunk of his hair.

Neji spotted the little boy who had pooped running back into the room with Tenten walking behind him looking exasperated. She spotted him with a changing mat and grinned. He sighed. Something crashed and Neji saw it was a tower of blocks thanks to Toshiro running into them. Both Toshiro and the boy who had made the block tower started to cry and Tenten went walking over with a frown. Neji winced at a tug on his hair from behind but said nothing. He had a headache coming on and tried not to think of how it had become ten a minute before. The day couldn't be over quickly enough.

* * *

Neji rubbed his temples and tried to ignore the harem of little girls tugging on his shorts. Kata had finally let go of him at lunch in favor of playing with one of the plush animals in her bag Tenten had found. It meant all the little girls (ten in total) were currently trying to get him to sit so they could play with his hair.

He had enough of his hair being played with for one day. He didn't mind people playing with his hair but the little girls pulled too hard when they took out the bows and they made horrible braids. Neji had given up and tied his hair into a bun at the back of his neck, much to the protest of the girls. He didn't care.

Something thunked and Neji looked up tiredly to see it had been a ball against a wall. One of the boys had kicked it. Lee had decided after their early lunch it would be a good idea to take the kids outside. Neji and Tenten had foolishly agreed as outside should be easier.

No, outside was more difficult. They had to make sure none of the kids were eating the sand in the sand box or worse, going to the bathroom in it. They had to push kids on the swings, kick balls for them or in Neji's case, not trip over any of them as they had surrounded him. Thankfully the babies were completely content to sit on the grass and continue their play with whatever had occupied them inside. Tenten was by the sandbox, helping one of the boys dig a hole while watching two others to make sure they didn't do anything horrible. Neji moved forward and the girls followed him, still clinging to his shorts. He could not even sit down or they would be on him in moments.

Neji bent to take grass out of a baby's hand and the baby whined at him. Neji picked up the infant with a sigh and it cooed as he rocked it gently. He hadn't wanted kids because of the seal, now he didn't want kids because they were too taxing.

Toshiro was on the platform with the slide. Somehow the boy managed to trip and went down the slide on his belly, landing on his face. Neji sighed before going over to the boy to see if he was all right. Toshiro shook his head as Neji helped him up.

"Are you all right?" Neji asked.

"Yes White-eyes-san," Toshiro said.

Toshiro had a smile on his face, dirt on his chin, and some grass stains on his pants. Neji didn't bother to say his name for the millionth time today as Toshiro went back up on the platform and went down the slide again, properly this time.

All the kids called him White-eyes-san because of his Byakugan. None of them had run away screaming from his eyes like some children did so Neji considered this a boon. Neji watched Toshiro sliding and was relieved his harem started to do the same or play on the rest of the play set. He put the baby down and watched it crawl away in the grass.

Neji was so intent on making sure Toshiro didn't trip and fall again and the baby he didn't see the ball coming towards him. The other boys were screaming so he didn't notice the pitch had changed or Lee's voice had been added. One moment he watched Toshiro go down the slide and the next moment he was blinking up into the blue sky and Tenten's worried face.

"Are you okay?" Tenten asked.

"What, how?" Neji tried.

"Lee kicked the ball for the kids but his aim was off and it smacked you. Your head kind of smacked off the play set and yeah," Tenten said.

No wonder he had an even worse headache then before. Neji groaned and sat up with Tenten's guidance. Lee had ushered all the kids inside and Neji could see him through the glass patio doors telling them a story for nap time.

"Neji?" Tenten questioned.

"I am fine," Neji lied.

He stood up and promptly disproved his fine-ness by falling over, landing mostly on Tenten who yelped. He groaned as she pushed him off then shook her head at him.

"Yeah, you're totally fine," she said sarcastically.

"Hn," Neji muttered.

The entire world spun and Neji closed his eyes. He felt Tenten touching the back of his head but didn't protest. Her hands moved to the front of his head and she hummed. He opened his eyes to watch her.

"You've got a really nasty bump on the back of your head and would have had one on the front if the ball hadn't hit your hitai-ate," Tenten said.

"Hn,"

"Come on, let's get you inside. The kids will be asleep for most of the afternoon," Tenten said.

Neji nodded but this was a bad idea. He groaned but let Tenten pull him up to his feet. Instantly the world tilted dangerously to one side and he almost threw up. Tenten held him steady until he could gain his vertical base.

"Wow, we might have to get you to the hospital," Tenten said.

"No, no, I'm fine," Neji said.

He didn't want to go to the hospital because of a D-rank mission at a daycare. It would be humiliating. He would get over the dizziness, feeling of nausea, and headache. He did want to take a nap. It wouldn't be so wrong since the kids were napping. They got inside as Lee was putting the last blanket on the last child.

"Eternal Rival, I am so sorry. I will run five hundred laps around Konoha on one leg to make it up to you," Lee whispered.

"Hn,"

Tenten helped Neji sit against the back wall of the place and Neji closed his eyes. What felt like a minute later he felt a shake on his shoulder. Neji blinked at Tenten who had a little frown on her face. The kids were up and running around again. It was almost three.

"We're almost done," Tenten said.

Neji nodded and held back his wince at the pain shooting down his neck and the back of his head. Tenten handed him Kata and Neji sighed as he took the toddler. She leaned her head on his shoulder and played with his hair. One of the other toddlers was in a bassinet in front of him and the child started tearing up. Neji used his foot to rock the bassinet and instantly the child calmed.

Neji watched Tenten and Lee run around like maniacs keeping kids from hurting themselves and trying to keep them entertained. The door opened at three-thirty-two and in came Miyo with bags. Neji would have gotten up but his head hurt too much. Miyo glanced in on them, smiled then went into the kitchen.

She was back to help Tenten and Lee after a few moments then the door opened again. One by one the children were handed back to their parents and the amount of little ones to entertain became lower. The toddler at his foot was taken but Neji didn't mind. Miyo did give him a look when he didn't bother to stand.

"White-eyes-san got hit with the ball," one of the older kids told her.

"Ah, I see," Miyo said.

He went back to stacking blocks and Miyo disappeared into the kitchen again. She came back with something wrapped in a towel and walked towards him. Neji looked up at her but said nothing when she leaned him forward and put the ice on his head. It felt nice.

"I'm guessing it wasn't one of the kids who kicked it at you," Miyo said.

"Lee," Neji said.

"Ah," she said in understanding.

He kept watching the remaining kids. Miyo would get up to deliver children to parents but remained by his side for the most part. Soon it was Kata alone in the room. Tenten had sprawled on the middle of the floor on her back while even Lee leaned against a wall: exhausted.

Kata's mother came into the room and smiled as Miyo lead her towards Neji. Kata was dislodged and taken from his arms. The little girl began sobbing as she was pulled away from Neji and he didn't want to admit he felt a bit like crying. He hadn't minded her cuddling with him, relying on him to keep her safe, and being a quiet little companion.

Neji sighed as Kata's mother tried to hush her little girl as she walked away. Kata's tiny hands were trying to grasp for him but Neji didn't move. He did watch until she was completely out of his sight. He jolted when Guy-sensei slammed into the daycare a moment later, teeth pinging and in a pose which put his feet shoulder width apart and one hand in a fist at his side. The other was in thumb up position.

"Well, I do have three more children to be taken home," Miyo said.

Neji was too tired to complain about being called a child. Tenten groaned from her spot on the floor while Lee got his second wind and got to his feet. Guy-sensei came deeper into the room and looked between Tenten and Neji.

"Tenten, Neji, it is time we bask in our youth somewhere else," Guy-sensei said.

"Ah, Guy-sensei,"

"Yes Lee?"

"I accidently kicked a ball in Neji's face which made his head hit the play set behind him,"

Neji raised an eyebrow as Guy-sensei gasped dramatically then punched Lee in the shoulder. Guy-sensei then apologized, hugged Lee close while the two sobbed, and finally let go of Lee to come to Neji.

Neji said nothing as Guy-sensei gently made him tilt his head forward. Neji felt Guy-sensei's fingers on the bump but the ice had done well to numb it a bit. Neji huffed when Guy-sensei brought his head up and stared into his eyes.

"Ah, right, Byakugan eyes, no pupil in most lights," Guy-sensei muttered.

Neji snorted at him then groaned as Guy-sensei carefully lifted Neji in his arms. Neji tried to struggle but Guy-sensei was having none of it. Neji was resigned to his position as they left the daycare and headed to the hospital.

"I'm fine," Neji said.

"No you are not, my precious genius," Guy-sensei said.

Guy-sensei had always called them his precious students. Tenten was normally called blossom or flower while Lee was prized pupil. Neji hadn't gained a nickname yet and he had been happy with it. Now he couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy inside. He chalked it up to the hit to the head.

They entered the hospital and Guy-sensei signed him in. Neji didn't mind lying down on the examination table and groused when Guy-sensei roused him so a med-nin could look him over. The woman brought out a special kind of light to shine in his eyes and she frowned.

"Mild concussion, he'll have to be watched carefully for the next twenty-four hours and woken up every two or three hours to make sure he doesn't go into a coma. No sparring for at least a week and light training for the same. We'll check on him after the week to see if he can go back to routine," the med-nin said.

Neji scowled as Lee went bright red and hung his head in embarrassment and guilt. Tenten swatted Lee's shoulder while Guy-sensei stared at Neji with a serious look on his face.

"We'll keep him here over night and you can come pick him up in the afternoon around this time," the med-nin said.

Guy-sensei nodded and Neji frowned as a wheelchair was brought into the room. Lee pushed him into a room where Guy-sensei and Lee helped him change into hospital issue gear while Tenten waited in the hallway. Once he was settled into bed he was given a tray of food Tenten helped him with. Guy-sensei left for perhaps half an hour to inform Neji's uncle then all three stayed until a nurse ushered them out at nine.

Neji yawned heavily and felt his eyes slipping shut against his will. He did not mind, not completely. He wouldn't be left alone because of the nurse waking him up every three hours. Even without the nurse Neji knew he was no longer alone. Neji was glad he fell asleep then. He didn't know how to deal with the thought of having people who worried about him.

* * *

 **Rock Lee**

With the rough training regime Lee was put through for most of his life, one would think he ended up in the hospital well before the others on his team. Somehow, someway, Lee managed to get minor scratches, some bruises, scrapes but no broken bones or injuries which would put him in the hospital for any period of time. Neji unintentionally took this first for the team as awkward as it would be explain to the other teams if they ever asked. Thankfully, they never did.

It likely had to do with everyone being shinobi and hospitals reminding them of injuries no one would rather think of. Like Neji though, Lee's first hospital visit was not after his defeat by Gaara during the chunin exams. No, he ended up hospitalized a few months before this fight and like Neji's incident Lee's visit was not entirely his fault...

Lee stood happily beside Guy-sensei as they were briefed for their third C-rank mission. Lee tried not to think about how the first one had lead to Neji's first kill and the second to Lee's first kill. With any luck they would not have to comfort Tenten through her first kill. Lee also tried not to think of it being rather odd the teammate who threw around sharp pointy objects for her main fighting style would be the last to take her kill.

"Yes! My precious students! We will burn brightly in our Springtime of Youth!"

"Yosh!" Lee immediately followed up.

He smiled at Neji who merely raised an eyebrow at him. Neji did not frown and look away which Lee would take as an improvement. Tenten didn't roll her eyes and look to the floor with a sigh. She had her eyebrows raised a little and a small smile on her face.

"To packing then to the Gates in two hours. No! One hour! No! Half an hour! Lee! Tenten! Neh-Neji! Let's go!"

No one mentioned how Guy-sensei _almost_ called Neji by the wrong name at least Lee didn't think Tenten or Neji mentioned it. He chased after Guy-sensei as the man took off out of the mission room. Lee separated from Guy-sensei to go to his small one-bedroom apartment where he grabbed his all ready prepared mission bag and took off out the door again.

He made it to the Gates to see Guy-sensei all ready standing proudly in front of the main exit and entrance to Konoha. Neji and Tenten came together, not seeming to care who made it third or fourth. Lee knew they were saving their enthusiasm for the mission. Off they went and Lee happily charged through the trees with his team.

"We will travel at this pace till sunset then break came for six hours. Tomorrow we will work on tracking down Kano Suzu, the thief who has been terrorizing our nation for six months now," Guy-sensei said.

"I would not call it terrorizing," Neji said.

Lee gasped at him. Anyone who stole from someone else was a terror and had to be stopped. People worked hard for their belongings and should not have to be worried about someone taking them. Lee told Neji exactly this. Neji sighed.

"The man signs his name on every door he steals from and besides, all he takes are bowls of varying sizes. People do not consider him a terror," Neji said.

"But how will people eat their soup?" Lee asked.

Neji shook his head but said nothing. Lee grinned at having won the battle of wills as they continued on through the trees. They did not speak as they continued through the woods and camp was set up as the sun went down. Lee slept because he knew he needed to be well rested and off they went. They hit the little village where Kano kept striking to see Kano's name on almost every door.

"People of Okuhaba! We have come to rid you of the menace known as Kano Suzu," Guy-sensei proclaimed.

Lee joined Guy-sensei in the Nice Guy pose as the people milling about stared. Lee noticed Neji rubbing his temples and Tenten sagging forward with her head bowed. No one said a word though a few people shook their heads before walking off. Lee almost frowned but Guy-sensei still had a grin on his face so it was okay.

They checked into a hotel then found one of the few houses without Kano's names carved into the door. Lee sat with Guy-sensei near the back of the house. Neji sat on the roof of a house three back, concealed by a chimney with his Byakugan activated. Tenten was off to one side and Lee tried not to scratch at the collar for his radio or adjust it in his ear for the millionth time tonight.

"Neji?" Guy-sensei whispered after an hour.

"Nothing," Neji replied over the speaker.

More time passed and Lee watched the cat sleeping on the back porch of the house. He ignored the itch on his nose and kept staring straight ahead. There was a leaf tickling the back of his neck but Lee paid it no attention.

"Neji?" Guy-sensei asked after another hour.

"Nothing," was the response.

The itch on Lee's nose had become insistent, spreading over his cheeks and into his nose which made him want to sneeze. He would not move until absolutely needed. The leaf on the back of his neck seemed stuck there and his calves were cramping up from remaining in his squatting position for so long.

"Neji?" Guy-sensei asked again.

Lee could not believe three hours had passed with still no sign of Kano. Lee was starting to think they had gotten the wrong house. There were another four or five in the town of Okuhaba which still had all their bowls so it was a good possibility.

"He is coming from the east, ten meters away," Neji said.

The itch spread over his entire face, the sticky leaf on his back, and the cramps in his legs didn't matter. Their entire reason for being out here was heading towards them now. He would be upon them soon. Lee bit his lip to hold back his excitement and turned his head east.

There. A rustle of leaves. A flash. Lee blinked and the back door closed. He shook his head then looked to Guy-sensei whose jaw had dropped and eyes had gone wide.

"What?" Guy-sensei muttered.

"I, he, he's gone. Heading east, back towards the way he came," Neji said.

Lee followed Guy-sensei as they took off. They met up with Neji who took the lead and Tenten who brought up the rear. Neji's eyebrows were narrowed and he had a scowl on his face. They had _all_ missed Kano going into the house, stealing the bowl, and leaving his name. Lee had no idea how.

"What just happened?" Tenten questioned as they ran.

"Jutsu," Neji said.

"Similar to Minato," Guy-sensei described. "But at the same time, much different. Neji, did you see anything out of place on the door?" Guy-sensei asked.

Lee looked to Neji who thought about it for a few moments. Neji inclined his head in the positive.

"Markings started to form when Kano came in from the east. They were forming his name as we left. He must have every house marked then uses a jutsu to get inside, take what he wants then leaves the same way he came in," Neji explained.

Lee didn't understand but he did not have to. They had the man in their sights. Guy-sensei sped up so Lee did as well. He noticed Neji and Tenten do the same. Even so, they did not come closer to Kano who remained teasingly half a dozen yards in front of them. Guy-sensei made the hand sign for releasing a genjutsu but nothing happened.

"Neji?" Guy-sensei questioned.

"It is not a genjutsu. He knows we are back here and is merely keeping _just_ out of our reach," Neji said.

Guy-sensei nodded and Lee tried not to wish Guy-sensei would ask Lee the same questions. He had to remember they each had their place on the team: Neji the genius, Tenten the support, and Lee the frontline man. Another flash from up ahead and they stopped.

"Where did he go now?" Tenten asked.

They all looked to Neji who scanned the area with his Byakugan, a frown on his face and his eyes narrowed. He inclined his head then took off in an entirely different direction than they had been going. Lee followed regardless, knowing nothing tricked Neji's eyes and trying not to wish he had something so special about him.

Long minutes passed and Lee wondered if something had tricked Neji's eyes for once. He was proven wrong when Neji pointed out another scratch in the trees and told them it was similar to the ones Kano had on the door. They followed the marks only Neji could see and soon came upon a cabin hidden in the woods.

"He is inside," Neji said.

"Good. Is there a back door?" Guy-sensei questioned.

Neji nodded. They were broken up again: Lee at the front door, Tenten at the back door, Neji to one of the windows at the side of the house and Guy-sensei on the roof. Lee tensed, completely prepared to kick in the front door on Guy's signal.

Lee ignored the sweat rolling down his forehead and the way his suit stuck under his arms a little oddly. He said nothing about the cool air over his toes from the light wind as he and his team stood hiding in the woods in position.

"Go,"

This was emphasized by four crashes: Guy-sensei went _through_ the roof, Lee knocked down the front door, Tenten made the back door explode, and Neji smashed through the window. Normally when they made such an entrance they would head straight for the enemy but this time all four of them were shocked into stillness.

The entire cabin, large for a single man, was filled with bowls. Small bowls for a dessert, large bowls for a family to share soup from, white bowls, colored bowls, cracked bowls, bowls of all sizes and decorations filled the cabin from floor to ceiling with a single path leading from the front door to the middle of the room then off to the back door.

There were smaller paths, wide enough for a person through the high stacks of bowls coming off the main path which was wide enough for a man to lie down in. The bowls were stacked neatly a top one another from largest to smallest each separated with what looked like a piece of thick rice paper. None of them were filled and the top most bowl actually hit the ceiling. It was such a tight squeeze none of the stacks were swaying to fall over.

In the middle of the path sat Kado with a fire pit in front of him and stew cooking in the middle of the pit. The man did look stunned to see them as he stared first at Lee then at Tenten, the main two who blocked his path to freedom. He looked up at the hole in the ceiling Guy-sensei had made then to Guy-sensei who stood in a small path off to the right. Kano glanced over to Neji who stood inches away from toppling over a few stacks by the window.

"You almost knocked over my stacks," Kano said.

Lee didn't know what to do. None of his training had prepared him for this and all he was capable of doing was staring at Kano in awe. Guy-sensei recovered first and pointed to the man who stared at them with a frown.

"You are a thief! I am Might Guy, Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Pray! My students and I will bring you in for your injustices!"

"Yosh! I am Rock Lee! Konoha's Beautiful Green Wild Beast! Guy-sensei and I along with the rest of my precious friends will bring you in!"

Lee, Guy-sensei, and Kano looked to Neji who stood with one eyebrow twitching and a frown on his face. He shook his head before running forward to attack. He had to dodge through the paths and around bowls which gave Kano ample opportunity to get to his feet.

Neji was drawing close and Lee watched with a little frown as it wasn't _him_ running in. Then the mission became more interesting. Kano plucked a bowl out of a stack from behind him. The bowls a top the one he took from the stack fell into place as if they hadn't been disturbed. The bowl in Kano's hands was thrown towards Neji who skidded to a stop and lashed out with one hand to make sure the bowl didn't hit him.

What no one expected was the bright orange powder to fly out of the bowl and spray into Neji's face. Neji's Byakugan deactivated as his eyes started to water and he began coughing forcefully. He went to his knees while shaking his head of the offending powder. Lee smelled curry on the air and blinked.

"Neji!" Guy-sensei said.

"Curry powder," Kano said.

Neji offered a cough. Lee heard Tenten groan then spotted her in a familiar position. He gaped as kunai went flying through the air without error towards Kano who took a step back. The kunai didn't realize the target had moved and suddenly Lee was on the pointy end of Tenten's attack.

Lee shifted to the right as if he had space to do so. He didn't. He slammed into a stack of bowls while Tenten's kunai whizzed by his back and out the front door. Lee stumbled back and watched in awe as the stack he first whammed into began to fall over. His back hit another stack and Lee had a feeling this wouldn't be good.

The first stack fell back into the stack behind it which then hit the stack behind it and on the process continued. Lee slipped on something as he tried to regain his balance and went down with the stack on his back. He tried to grab onto something to prevent his fall but all there was were bowls. He _felt_ stacks to his left and right get tugged out of place and Lee saw all the bowls coming towards him.

A few started falling on him, their contents splashing into his face. Lee tasted something bitter on his tongue and tried to spit the liquid out but was forced to swallow when what looked like a _fish_ started heading for his open mouth. Lee closed his mouth and the fish, still flipping, smacked him in the face as he continued down.

The bitter liquid burned going down but left a sweet aftertaste. His head started to go cloudy but he felt _amazing_ , like he could do anything. Lee grinned then fell onto the floor with bowls landing on him from all angles. A huge bowl fell over his face and Lee, well, he forgot what happened next.

* * *

Lee opened his eyes to see a white ceiling. When he turned his head to the right he saw a large window overlooking buildings under a blue sky. The curtains were semi-sheer and white. There was a shelf under the window as well as a small night side table in light brown near the window. To his left were more white walls and an open door leading to an all white hallway. There were also three empty brown chairs.

Lee blinked and sat up.

He lay on a bed with light blue sheets and wore a shirt that wasn't his. The bed wasn't entirely comfortable and Lee saw he was poked with some kind of needle that lead to a bag half full of clear fluid. There was a monitor near the bag and it was connected by a sort of clothes peg object on his left hand pointer finger.

It didn't take Lee long to deduce he was somehow in the hospital of Konoha. He remembered falling over in Kano's bowl house with a bunch of bowls landing on him but this was all. He felt a bit sore as if he had been training all day and his throat was dry but nothing felt entirely wrong, at least not right off.

"You are awake,"

Lee turned to see Neji walking into the room. Neji carried a book in one hand and a cup of something in the other hand. Lee watched as Neji set the cup on a tray table to Lee's left then sat in the middle chair. Neji kept his book in his lap as Lee stared at him.

"How long have I been sleeping?" Lee questioned.

"Hn, I would not call it sleeping, honestly," Neji replied.

Lee kept staring. Neji shrugged one shoulder as if it didn't matter. It certainly mattered to Lee. If Guy-sensei had come into the room first then Lee would have gotten a direct answer. Tenten might have smacked him first but Neji would not give the answer so easily.

"You were, well," Neji said.

Lee realized Neji wasn't intentionally stalling. Neji really didn't know how to explain to Lee what had happened. Lee kept his eyes on his teammate as Neji sighed and shook his head.

"The liquid in the bowl you swallowed happened to be exceptionally strong liquor," Neji said.

Lee nodded but still didn't understand. Neji huffed.

"We all thought when you went down, you were out for the duration of the rest of the mission but you leaped out of the bowls and starting attacking Kano who had a difficult time holding you back,"

Lee remembered none of this. Neji had a little flush on his cheeks as he shrugged again.

"Guy-sensei said it was the Drunken Fist, an extremely unpredictable and powerful form of taijutsu very few can master. Apparently it comes to people when they are intoxicated as you were,"

Lee gaped. He had gotten _drunk_ , beat the enemy with a special form of taijutsu, yet didn't remember any of it. Lee felt disappointed in his lack of memory.

"Regardless, you beat Kano and destroyed his entire house in the process. Tenten and I had to chase you down since you started coming back to Konoha while Guy-sensei cleaned up and dealt with Kano. Then you challenged me to a spar and ah,"

Neji stopped there and his face went red as he pouted. Lee didn't know what to say. He didn't remember challenging Neji to a spar or running back to Konoha. Neji shouldn't be acting so embarrassed about a spar though. Neji always won.

"You won,"

Lee felt his jaw drop and his eyes go wide. He had _beaten_ Neji. Rock Lee, dead last and unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu had defeated Hyuuga Neji, top in the class and master of a special clan technique.

"I won?" Lee asked.

"Hn,"

Neji's agreement sound with a bit of humiliation thrown in there. Lee could not even remember beating Neji or how he had done it. He might never get to do it again.

"Guy-sensei caught up with us but you would not stop until reaching Konoha. Then you fell over and would not wake up so we brought you here. That was yesterday,"

Lee managed to shake off his shock then kept looking at Neji who shrugged again. Neji's cheeks had returned to their normal color and both hands were folded over the book in his lap. Lee still had no clue what to say.

"How did I win?" Lee questioned.

Neji snorted at him but Lee didn't mind. Neji frowned and pouted. Lee would never tell Neji he was pouting. He might be in a hospital but he did not want to stay in it.

"Drunken Fist," Neji answered.

Lee blinked then nodded. Apparently the way for him to become invincible was to consume alcohol. Lee sagged. He was underage and could never go buy it.

"One of the med-nins said you have a low tolerance to alcohol which is why so little of it affected you so profusely. Apparently even having a sip can get you into a drunken state,"

Lee shook his head. One bottle would last him many fights but Lee did not want to rely on the Drunken Fist to win. It would be cheating. Even so, he had beaten Neji and finished the mission alone. The victory over Neji did not feel right.

"I did not win," Lee said.

"Pardon?" Neji enquired.

"The spar. I did not win. Consuming a foreign substance to enhance one's fighting abilities is cheating," Lee said.

Lee smiled at Neji when the Hyuuga tilted his head off to one side slightly. White eyes studied him and Lee tried not to be fazed. It was difficult. The Hyuuga eyes were especially creepy when the Hyuuga in question kept them wide open and did not speak or show an ounce of expression on his face.

"Hn,"

Neji's sound of thanks. Lee beamed at his teammate as Neji sipped whatever was in the cup. Lee knew it was likely tea or water. Neji placed the cup back onto the tray as Lee watched him.

"How are you feeling?" Neji questioned.

Lee thought about it. His throat didn't feel so dry and his body felt sore, yes, but not sore enough to prevent him from doing anything. He wanted to get up and move around but had a feeling the med-nin in charge of him wouldn't allow him this yet.

"Fine, a little sore but nothing out of the ordinary," Lee said.

"Hn,"

Lee smiled at Neji's amused sound. Neji left his book on the tray with his drink and Lee knew his stoic teammate was off to find a med-nin to make sure Lee was okay. Lee sat up a bit straighter and tilted his head to read the title of Neji's book:

 _History of Taijutsu._

Lee chuckled. Of course his Eternal Rival would be reading a book about taijutsu. Lee lay back in his bed and waited for Neji's return. They might not talk much and Neji wasn't exactly open about a lot, teammate or not, but Neji's presence was a welcome one for Lee's first hospital visit.

* * *

 **Might Guy**

Guy had not met Lee, Neji or Tenten when he went into the hospital for the first time. He had gone into the hospital after taking his first kill to save Kakashi but it had not been his first visit nor would it be his last. Surprisingly Guy made it all the way through the Academy and to becoming a chunin before going into the hospital which is a feat in most people's eyes.

The typical shinobi entered the hospital during the chunin exams or slightly before for the first time. Falling out of trees, off roofs, or other various high places learning how to balance with chakra happened to be the number one cause of genin being trained.

The second common cause was getting stuck with a sharp pointy object from learning how to throw senbon, shuriken, and kunai properly. The third was getting hit too hard by a teammate in training. There were various mishaps on missions and technically Guy should have visited the hospital as a genin during one particular mission but his father had helped him out.

After his father's death, Guy trained as hard as he could so he would properly pass on his father's legacy. Ebisu, Shiranui Genma, and Choza-sensei were the first to see Guy's never-ending cycle of training. He would initiate a challenge and if he failed to complete it, he would do a punishment challenge. If he failed to complete this there would be yet another challenge. It led to Guy being able to run 500 laps around Konoha first normally then on his hands. It led to him doing a thousand regular push-ups first all the way up to three thousand one handed handstand push-ups.

Ebisu said Guy had become insane and scoffed when Guy tried to challenge him. Genma mastered the ability to disappear. Choza admired his (green) student but never rose to help in any challenge. They were all relieved when Guy continued his rivalry with Kakashi and despite the insanity of the training regime, never ended up seriously injured.

Guy made it past his successful chunin exam, through dozens of missions, and even through situations he should have been killed, all without having to see the inside of Konoha's Hospital. Then he went on a mission with Kakashi...

"You have no idea what happened, do you?"

Guy looked to Kakashi who had his visible eye narrowed slightly, his eyebrow twitching, and his shoulders sagged. Guy glanced around the room: white walls, white desk, single chair which Kakashi sat in, machine hooked up to him, IV bag, and he lie in an uncomfortable bed. The last memory he had was of leaping off the side of a cliff with Dynamic Entry to kick an opponent in the head. The rest had become a blur.

"No, I do not," Guy said.

Kakashi let out a long breath and shook his head. He ran a hand through the shock of silver hair growing from it and Guy caught a smile forming under Kakashi's mask. Guy wiggled his fingers, first on his right hand then on his left. No pain came to him so he wiggled his toes. No pain. Guy hummed and sat up. He spotted Kakashi raise his eyebrow and Guy looked over his body.

There were a few minor scrapes and he had a fist sized bruise on his chest but nothing else felt wrong. Guy hummed as he ran his hands over his head to feel for bumps but came up feeling his hair in its traditional glamorous bowl cut.

"I feel perfectly fine, my Eternal Rival. Why do you look so amused?" Guy questioned.

He blinked when Kakashi groaned and smacked himself in the face. Guy stared when Kakashi started laughing. The Copy Nin shook his head and sagged in his chair while giving Guy a weary look.

"Only you could defeat an entire army and forget about it," Kakashi said.

Guy kept staring. He remembered kicking an enemy shinobi in the head then, then, then...nothing. Kakashi sighed and shook his head. His arms had crossed over his chest and his eyebrow rose again.

"I suppose it's my fault," Kakashi said. "You were kinda close when I used that memory altering jutsu on the client so they didn't you know, have nightmares for the rest of their life."

Guy did remember the client, some rich man, they had to escort home through the Land of Wood which had become hostile territory. The man had been terrified at the prospect of having to go it alone but couldn't afford a team of jonin like he wanted. Guy had always thought Kakashi would be enough and Guy would be the back-up. Apparently it had not been so.

"The Dynamic Entry sort of snapped the guy's spine then you just went to it. One of 'em had said you were useless or something and yeah, remind me never to make you angry," Kakashi said.

Guy remembered the comment and the annoyance which had come with it. He shook his head. He had to try to keep a more level head while on missions.

"Then you opened Four Gates, which I had no idea anyone had figured out how to do by the way, and blasted through the entire army. You stayed up long enough for me to fix the client then fainted and I carried you back," Kakashi said.

"Huh," Guy mentioned.

Kakashi sighed heavily and shook his head. The smile still tugged at his lips. Guy watched as Kakashi shrugged.

"But, I told the Fourth you're jonin material so you'll be taking that test sometime soon," Kakashi said.

Guy gaped. He had been honored to become chunin. He had never thought he would become jonin. Guy watched, not knowing what to say, as Kakashi stood.

"Anyway, I'm going to go find a med-nin so they can release you," Kakashi said.

Guy watched him go and looked around the small room. He didn't mind he would get to leave but he wanted to know what he had done to the army. Opening the Gates and using them for too long put him here. Guy wouldn't have opened the Gates over an insult. Something must have happened to Kakashi during the fight or come close to happening to the Copy Nin and Kakashi didn't want to admit it.

If Kakashi didn't want to admit it then he would have left it out of the mission report. Guy frowned as he rubbed his chin and considered. Kakashi had begun slinking away from mutual friends lately. Guy always persisted and tracked him down but others were not as determined as Guy.

Guy nodded. He would pass the jonin test and take a few missions. Then he would wear down the Hokage to make Kakashi take a jonin team to show the man life would be worth living. It might take a while but Guy would not let his Eternal Rival disappear.

* * *

 **Tenten**

Tenten opened her eyes and spotted white everywhere: ceiling, walls, curtains, and floor. A monitor was hooked up to her as well as an IV drip. She wasn't wearing her black pants and pink shirt, nor did she have her scrolls on her. Her hair was still tied in its messy buns but her hitai-ate sat on the nightstand beside her.

She had lost.

Worse yet, here she was stuck in the hospital while Neji and Lee fought in the preliminary matches. Neji would move on for sure, no matter who he fought. Lee, well, it would depend. As long as he didn't get the creepy Suna shinobi with the red hair Lee would be fine.

Tenten knew better than to sit up. Her back hurt, the back of her head hurt, and her legs felt all tingly and funny. She remembered landing on the Suna kunoichi's fan and felt ribs and other bones breaking under the metal. Someone had probably done a high-level medical jutsu so she would still be able to walk.

Tenten sighed. She had used her best attacks but it had been pointless. Temari of Suna had easily deflected every single weapon without moving or even getting hit. There went Tenten's never-miss aim. All Tenten _might_ have been able to do was attack with taijutsu which she wasn't all that great at. Sure she could use a Bo but Tenten had a feeling Temari might have blown her away before Tenten could have gotten too close.

She had lost.

Worse, she had let her teammates down and wouldn't make chunin. Neji would get a vest for sure. Lee might not but they would be a man down when she and Lee tried a second time. It would be difficult to replace Neji too. As much as Neji tried to stay on the fringes of the team he was important to the team dynamic.

He was the captain when Guy-sensei sent them on D-rank missions, he was the close range fighter, and he could see what she and Lee couldn't. Now she couldn't even watch him or Lee fight because she couldn't stand until her back was fully healed. The match hadn't even lasted five minutes.

She couldn't even watch their matches or cheer them on. Stupid being paired against the _one_ person who was a natural enemy to her attacks. Anyone else and she might have had a better showing. She might have been able to prove she was worthy of being a chunin. Tenten sighed heavily and scowled at the shadows on the ceiling.

She heard the sound of the door to her room opening a bit wider and glanced towards it, moving her eyes alone. Neji, a bit beat up but nothing major like her, strode into the room and sat in the chair to her left. He said nothing as he watched her.

"I fought Hinata-sama," Neji said.

A bitter sort of twist to his lips came to his face and Tenten frowned. Hinata would've gotten her ass kicked. Hell, Neji might have even killed the girl. Lee would hate Neji for this until Neji explained, if Neji explained.

"You didn't actually kill her, did you?" Tenten asked.

Neji shook his head. Good. The last thing Tenten needed was to find out one of her teammates was going to be killed for killing a family member.

"But she will be out of commission for some time," Neji said.

There was a kind of softness in his voice she wasn't used to hearing. Not regret, no, but something else. Guilt? Maybe. She wouldn't ask.

"You know it wasn't really her fault," Tenten said.

Neji snorted and shook his head. He didn't want to talk about it. Tenten didn't want to talk about her match so his would've been the next best subject. Tenten knew Neji blamed Hinata for the death of his father. He had explained to her when he found out Hinata would be taking the chunin exams.

Tenten wished she could help him with his clan. If they hated him so much for being Branch, who knew what they were doing to him for trying to be a boy? Maybe they didn't care about that so much. They would once they found out Neji had almost killed Hinata.

"How'd Lee do?" Tenten questioned.

Neji winced. Tenten didn't like the look of it, not a bit but couldn't do anything. He met her eyes and she kept hers locked on his. Neji sighed heavily and shook his head.

"He was paired against Gaara of Suna," Neji said.

No. No way. Gaara would be the single person in the entire exam Lee wouldn't have stood a chance against, not with the sand.

"Is he," Tenten started but stopped.

She saw the smallest of smiles on Neji's face. Maybe Lee had won.

"He was amazing," Neji said.

Tenten grinned. Neji shook his head and the small smile stayed on his face.

"At first he could not penetrate Gaara's sand shield but he took off his leg weights and got in good hits. He performed the Primary Lotus but Gaara had switched out with a sand clone. Lee kept defending then opened some of the Eight Gates,"

Tenten wished she could have seen it. She blinked when Neji stopped talking and frowned. Guy-sensei had told her and Neji about the Gates and how much damage opening them could do to a person. He had never mentioned Lee could open them though.

"He performed a Reverse Lotus. I, if he ever used it on me then he would win without a doubt," Neji said.

Tenten gaped. The fact _Neji_ was impressed at Lee's skills made her glad she was lying down. She would've fallen over if she had been standing when he admitted this. Neji's frown became deeper.

"It hit Gaara full on but, Gaara, he survived and was able to attack. Lee, he, you know the damage the Gates can do. Lee opened five of them and could not dodge Gaara's last attack. Gaara crushed Lee's left arm and leg and would have killed him if not for Guy-sensei interfering,"

Tenten bit her lip. So what if Lee had a crushed left arm and leg? He would get over it. He had to.

"Tenten, I, it may have been better had Gaara killed him. The med-nin, they, the damage is extensive, too extensive. Lee will never be able to fight again,"

Tenten wouldn't believe it. She couldn't believe it. Lee, never give up, never fail Lee would not let himself stop fighting. She shifted to sit and Neji helped her. He didn't argue in getting her into the wheelchair at the corner of the room and said nothing when he wheeled her out of her room and down the hallway.

Tenten said nothing as she was pushed into Lee's room where the vibrant, over-excitable, noisy Lee lay silently on the bed with his eyes closed. Lee's left arm and leg were wrapped in bandages under the hospital issue gown and he had a needle stuck in his arm as well as a monitor. Tenten kept her hand on the cool steel of her rolling IV stand as Neji brought her to the bed.

Lee looked so fragile in the bed and Tenten had to blink a few times to stop from crying. The machine beeping was the indication Lee still lived. Tenten tentatively touched his arm and bit her lip. Lee's left forearm _felt_ all wrong, like there was nothing under the skin to help Lee move his arm or to keep it solid so he could punch. It felt like all he had was mush under his skin: no muscle, no bone, nothing but ground up gunk under the skin in some kind of mocking arm. Lee couldn't fight with this arm.

"Neji?" Tenten asked lightly.

She felt the flare of chakra as Neji wordlessly activated his Byakugan. Neji took a breath behind her then let it out slowly. She glanced up to him and he shook his head. Tenten leaned back in her wheelchair and stared at Lee.

Lee would never fight again.

Neji did not need to say the words to confirm the fact Lee no longer had proper bone structure in his arm and leg. Neji did not need to tell her there would be nothing left of Lee's left limbs to help him move, to punch, to kick, to be a shinobi. Lee's career was over.

"Where's Guy-sensei?" Tenten questioned.

"I do not know. He did not follow the med-nin here nor did he wait in front of Lee's operation room. I think, that is, he," Neji tried.

Tenten looked over her shoulder to stare into Neji's face. Neji let out a breath and shook his head.

"Guy-sensei is the one who taught Lee how to open the Gates," Neji said.

So Guy-sensei would feel responsible for Lee's current predicament. Tenten sighed. What a time for her to be confined to a bed. She hadn't been able to see Neji or Lee fight. She couldn't even go find Guy-sensei with Neji to somehow make him not give up.

She was the back-up, the one who balanced out Lee and Guy-sensei's extreme personalities and Neji's too cold habits. She was the buffer between the guys, the one who brought them all back to reality and she couldn't even do this because she had lost and put herself into the hospital for the first time ever.

"Stupid," Tenten said.

She rubbed her eyes with one hand so they wouldn't start leaking in front of Neji. Bad enough he had seen her lose so spectacularly, no need to let him see her cry. She could cry later when he had gone home. No. He couldn't go home. Not after today.

"Go to my place," Tenten said.

"Hn?"

Tenten sighed and stared at him. One elegant eyebrow was raised and his eyes were widened a bit more than normal. His lower lip was pulled in the slightest bit to show his nervousness. Tenten wanted to laugh but didn't have the strength.

"Go to my place tonight, you know, give your family some time to cool down," Tenten said.

Neji blinked at her and a bit of coloring came to his cheeks. He nodded after a moment and Tenten let out a long breath before looking at Lee. She couldn't do anything for Lee now except be near him. She couldn't help Guy-sensei because she wouldn't be able to find him until she could move properly. The least she could do was make sure Neji wasn't hurt, tonight at least.

"Thank you," Neji said.

"Yeah," Tenten said.

They sat in silence until a nurse came to check on Lee then ushered Tenten back to her room. Tenten frowned but did as she was told. Over the next few days Neji would come visit her and bring her to Lee's room. After three days she was able to do light physical activity. By the seventh day she had moved to being able to walk alone for long distances. By day ten, she was able to leave the hospital with Neji helping her.

She entered her apartment to see it a bit cleaner than normal. Neji had picked up after himself and cleared out whatever mess she had left before the chunin exams. Her plants were watered, all her belongings put into place where they belonged, and her floors were sparkling. There were a lot of take-out containers in the fridge when she went for a bottle of water and she looked at Neji. He flushed.

"Ah, I was never taught how to cook and did not want to risk using the stove," Neji said.

Tenten grinned at him. The next few days went by swiftly. She and Neji would take turns sharing the couch and she taught him the basics of cooking. She beat sense into Guy-sensei who accompanied them in keeping a quiet vigil on Lee who hadn't moved or woken up. She also made sure Neji didn't feel bad for practically hiding in her apartment.

Two weeks after her first hospital visit found Tenten back on the training field with Neji. He wanted to perfect a move he had seen Hiashi teaching Hanabi and Tenten had no problem helping. It meant she could sling weapons at him while he tried to spin and create a chakra dome around his body: the Revolving Heaven.

Tenten was about to throw the next bit of her arsenal when Neji's frown of concentration became one of worry. His eyebrows knitted the slightest bit and he stood stiffly in his spot. Tenten knew he wasn't concentrating on her in front of him, no; he was looking at something behind him. Tenten spotted what a few moments later.

Hyuuga Hiashi was average of height and weight with the same long dark hair as Neji and the same pupil-less white eyes. Tenten held her kunai a bit tighter as Hiashi approached, his face set in a frown and his gait strong. Power, confidence, arrogance, all of it rolled off him in waves and for the first time in her life Tenten felt her stomach coiling in knots and wanted to run. She had never been intimidated, not like this.

"Nephew," Hiashi said.

"Hiashi-sama," Neji returned.

Neji had turned off his Byakugan and faced his uncle. Neji's hands were loose at his sides but his shoulders were tense. His head was lowered and Tenten knew Neji loathed showing this kind of placation. Tenten gritted her teeth when Hiashi looked to her.

"Girl. Leave," Hiashi said.

He spoke in a voice which made her want to jump instantly at his command and run off. Tenten stayed in the field, knowing if she left something horrible would happen to Neji. She wouldn't allow it, not as long as she could take a breath. He might not do the same for her or Lee but damn it she had gotten him to come around and she would show him how much she cared.

"No," Tenten said.

Neji glanced at her briefly and she saw his eyebrows go up in wonder, eyes widen in awe for a split second before he turned to face Hiashi again. Hiashi raised an eyebrow marginally and one corner of his lip quirked into a sort of smirk. It was gone so quickly Tenten was sure she had imagined it.

"Admirable," Hiashi said.

Tenten didn't recognize the hand seal Hiashi made. One moment, Neji stood but the next he went to his knees, screaming in pain like Tenten had never heard before and clutching his head. Tenten reacted before putting thought into her actions.

Kunai and senbon lashed out, flying towards Hiashi without error. The hand seal dropped and Hiashi spun. A chakra dome appeared around him which knocked the dozens of weapons Tenten had thrown away. He came to a stop and regarded her with cold white eyes as Neji knelt on the ground, panting.

"Impressive," Hiashi said.

She kept staring at him but he nodded. Tenten shifted until she knelt beside Neji and put a hand on his shoulder. His eyes were narrowed as he took in the form of his uncle and his body kept trembling but Tenten knew he would hold back the true extent of his pain until Hiashi left.

"I see why she means much to you. I will take this into consideration, nephew," Hiashi said.

He left as Tenten tried to wrap her brain around what Hiashi meant. She looked to Neji who closed his eyes, took off his hitai-ate and revealed the Caged Bird seal to her for the second time in their lives.

She rubbed his temples and he stiffened before relaxing into her touch. Tenten watched him relaxing under the motions of her hands. After a while they shifted until the back of his head was in her lap.

He had closed his eyes, his face serene in rest, and his breathing deep and relaxed. At rest he was prettier than ever and Tenten felt her cheeks heat. His long, dark, shiny hair fell over her leg and to the ground beside her still so perfect even though he lay down on the ground. Athletic legs were spread forward, open a bit but entirely relaxed. One hand was resting over his stomach while the other was in a half-fist on the grass.

If she had been there when Neji fought Hinata she would have told him not to almost kill her. She might have been able to get him to back down which meant he would not have had the curse seal activated. If she had been there to see the fight and not lying in the hospital then this moment wouldn't be happening.

Maybe her first visit to the hospital hadn't been so bad after all.

* * *

I couldn't think of anything for Guy. He's always the most difficult to write for which is why this "Visit" chapter was sitting on my hard-drive for a freaking year. Maybe now I can move onto other prompts. Reviews welcome, as always.


	6. Cold

**Cold**

 **Author's Notes:** Once I got "Visit" out of my head this smacked me in the face. That's how it is apparently.

Again: group chapter, meaning Neji, Lee, Guy, and Tenten will have their first cold in this crazy long chapter.

 **General Warning:** made up timelines, OOCness, swearing, and all that other fun stuff. Goes along with the other five chapters (obviously) and is in the _Twenty Truths of Team Guy_ universe which follows the canon so Neji does (eventually) die. Sorry. For completely made up time-line where Neji lives, I've got _Bonds_ and _Life, Love, and Genin._ *winks*

I don't own the characters but I like messing with them.

* * *

 **Hyuuga Neji**

He had always prided himself on the ability to have perfect control over his body. The Hyuuga techniques required him to know exactly how much chakra he produced, when, where and for what purpose. It had become vital for him to learn exactly how to control his chakra because if he did not he may kill one of his friends unintentionally in training with his techniques.

Besides, Neji could not control his station in life as a member of the Branch House of the Hyuuga clan. He had little say over his future where the clan became concerned. So he took to maintaining perfect control over his chakra system and the strength of his attacks at any given time. Therefore, when he woke up one morning with a pounding headache, scratchy throat, and eyes becoming pained from the barely risen sun, Neji loathed the lack of control.

He stayed in bed as sitting up had made him dizzy and tried to figure out what would make him feel so out of sorts. He could hardly breathe through his nose and his body ached as if he had spent the entire day sparring with Lee. He had not been to the training field yet so it made no sense for his body to be so pained.

Hell, he had not even made it to shower yet and Tenten would be expecting him on the field soon. He would sit beneath one of her targets to meditate and she would grab his attention by flinging something above or near his head to make him notice her presence.

As if he did not notice the moment she strode onto the field. He _always_ knew when she came close. He would never admit how attuned he had become to her chakra signature and how much it relaxed him even though they had been officially dating (thanks to Lee no less) for two months.

Neji tried to inhale deeply through his nose but ended up getting hardly enough air, disturbing the itchiness of his throat in the process, and started coughing forcefully enough to make his eyes water behind his closed lids. Neji groaned and winced at how dismal he sounded. He did not know _what_ had befallen him but he would be _damned_ if he missed a training session with his girlfriend.

She would kill him, and besides, he happened to enjoy their morning ritual.

Neji let out a long breath of relief as he settled in front of one of Tenten's targets. The hot shower had helped him to hack up offending mucus from his throat and chest. It had also helped to wake him up and the headache had subsided somewhat. His throat still ached even with the hot green tea and added honey he had consumed before leaving. He had gotten down some plain white rice but even it had not settled well.

His body protested any kind of movement but he would not miss training because of some headache. Or body ache. Or a clogged up nose and sore throat. He would not missing training with all of it combined because _damn it_ , he controlled his body, not the other way around. Neji huffed, swallowed down a cough and straightened his spine against the post of the target.

He closed his eyes and felt wetness trickle down his cheeks as even his eyes had started leaking, mainly because of how bright the sun had decided to be today. Neji wiped away the wetness and rested his elbows on his upper legs. He interlaced his fingers and kept his left thumb straight up. His right index finger and thumb encircled the upright left thumb to complete the linga mudra.

Never had he used this mudra in particular but he had read about it in a book Tenten had gotten him for his birthday last year. This position would invigorate his body, stop the production of phlegm, and strengthen his lungs. It also generated heat and would relieve any kind of cold or infection.

Neji took a breath and let it out slowly. He concentrated inwardly on the hum of his chakra through his body and frowned when he sensed how weakened his body felt. His chakra sluggishly rolled through the coils in his body and did not feel as bright as it normally did. Neji dismissed this and focused on his breathing:

In, hold, out. In, hold, out. In, hold, forceful coughing, out.

Neji sniffled and remained rigid to hold his meditation pose. He steadied his breathing pattern again and felt the familiar sense of calm which settled over him when he meditated. It stayed for another four cycles of breathing until his throat rebelled and he began coughing again. Neji licked his dry lips and smoothed the scowl off his face.

He would _not_ give into the weakness of his body.

Neji tried to swallow but ended up coughing some more and had to unlace his fingers to wipe the wetness seeping out of his eyes again. He kept coughing and spat out a glob of phlegm. Neji scowled at the offending goo and went to his pack.

He found his thermos and poured hot water into a cup before finding the jar of honey he had snagged from the kitchens. Neji poured honey into his hot water and drank it all down before replacing everything in his pack and taking up the meditation pose again.

Neji shifted in the grass and rested his back against the post before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly as he repositioned his hands into the linga mudra. His throat did not itch so much nor did it feel as dry but his head still ached and his eyes stung from the risen sun. Tenten would be here soon.

Neji focused on maintaining the calm breathing patterns even as his throat began to dry out again and tickled like it wanted him to cough. Neji kicked away the urge to cough and focused on maintaining his meditative state for as long as he could. The thunk of steel hitting wood above his head made Neji half open his eyes.

Tenten stood a dozen feet away dressed in her burgundy pants, white shirt with burgundy lining, and with her hair twisted into its typical twin buns. She had a grin on her face and the giant scroll she stored her weapons in rested on her lower back. Neji let the smile, small as it was, spread across his face and began to stand. The world tilted to one side but Neji faked turning to the post to retrieve Tenten's weapon to hide this particular weakness. He took a moment to pull the weapon from the post and an extra few heartbeats to steady his protesting body before turning.

Tenten had closed the distance between them and stood a mere foot away, close enough he could feel her heat and see the flecks of amber in her brown eyes. Her grin made his shoulders relax and he kept his eyes half-lidded since the sun seemed to burn them.

"Good morning," Tenten said.

Her chipper voice made warmth spread through his body and he lifted his hand to offer her the kunai back, hilt first. Her deceivingly delicate fingers brushed over his fingers as she took back her kunai with ease and began spinning it on her index finger as if the ability to spin a deadly weapon with such ease happened to be normal.

"Hn," Neji got out.

Even the simple response sounded rough. Neji swallowed to get moisture in his scratchy throat as Tenten blinked. Her head tilted to a side and she hummed. Neji did not move when her free hand went to his shoulder and she went on her tiptoes to be mere inches from his face. Neji felt the heat in his cheeks and his heart sped up in preparation for a kiss...

"Your eyes are all red," Tenten said.

Neji stared. She hummed again and he felt one of her fingers, callused from constantly working with her weapons, run over his cheek. Neji inhaled then gulped down a cough. He did not want to cough in Tenten's face.

"And you're all flush," Tenten said.

The kunai thunked into the target behind them but Neji did not turn to look. Tenten had shoved her hands behind his head, to the back of his neck more specifically, and for a moment he thought she would twine her fingers in his hair and began messaging his scalp. Instead, his hitai-ate loosened and he frowned.

Tenten had seen his Caged Bird Seal before but he did not like _anyone_ removing his hitai-ate without asking first. Her fingers were too quick to stop her and his hitai-ate hung around his neck a moment later. He opened his mouth to ask why she had done so but paused when her hands pushed the bandages away which took away the final barrier he put in place between his seal and the rest of the world.

He felt his jaw tighten and he opened his mouth again to ask what in the Hell she had been thinking but her hand, the back of it, rested against his bare forehead before he could get the words out. Neji waited a few beats and watched as Tenten's lips curled downwards and pursed as her eyebrows came together.

"You're running a fever," Tenten said.

"Hn?"

He said nothing to her eye roll. She did pull the bandages he wore back into place and put his hitai-ate back over his forehead. He did not get fevers. He did not get sick.

"You are running a fever," Tenten said, slower this time as if he had not understood her words.

He noted she had a little smile on her face and her hands had curled into fists which she then rested on her hips. Neji swallowed to get moisture in his throat.

"I do not get sick," Neji said.

He disregarded the fact his voice had come out husky, crackly, and weak sounding. Tenten shook her head then took his hand in one of hers. Neji raised his eyebrows and she smiled.

"Uh-huh, well Mr. Never-Gets-Sick, you've got a cold," Tenten said.

"I do _not_ get sick," Neji repeated.

His body betrayed him and he coughed. Neji turned his head to keep from coughing in Tenten's face and heard her snort. Neji finished his coughing fit and frowned.

"Right, come on," Tenten said.

Neji did not intend to move when she pulled him but his body let him down again. Neji stumbled but took a step forward to stop from falling into Tenten. She did not mention his misstep and hung his head as he followed along behind her. It seemed he had no choice in the matter. Neji cursed his body's defiance then glanced up.

He did not look far and his watering eyes focused on Tenten's backside. Neji smirked and decided perhaps being alone with Tenten while he recovered from his body disobeying him would not be so horrible.

* * *

"Comfy?"

Neji frowned and did not want to admit he did not want to move from the comfortable nest Tenten had made for him. She had taken him straight to her apartment then helped him change out of his regular attire into loose jogging pants and a loose tee-shirt he had abandoned at her apartment at some point.

She had put socks on his feet since he had been too dizzy to do so then pushed him onto the couch before wrapping him in blankets and sticking pillows behind his head, back, and other places he did not think would be convenient for pillows to be. It left him half propped up on one arm rest, back against the seating of the couch but not in an unpleasant way.

She had removed his hitai-ate and bandages then replaced it with a cool cloth. The blankets stopped at his chin and went all the way past his feet and the pillows were _soft_ under him. She had even gone so far as to lower the blinds in her sitting room so the bright sun did not make his eyes water.

Now she stood in front of him with her fists on her hips and a tilt to her head as she regarded him with a pursed lipped smile. He knew she tried to keep back laughter. The uppermost blanket happened to be bright pink and she had tucked a stuffed bear near his head which made a nice fluffy place he could snuggle into.

On her table were tissues, the bowl of cold water she had used to make the cloth comfortably cool, a thermometer, a few oranges, some bottles of water, and other objects Tenten had determined were detrimental to his heath. He had not bothered to study most of the objects as looking at her proved to be better.

"Good. Now stay. I'm going to get changed," Tenten said.

Neji watched her go until she left his sight and leaned back into his mass of pillows, blankets, and bear. He felt wonderfully warm and closed his eyes happily. He heard Tenten moving about in her room but did not pay it much mind. He did open his eyes when she came back and saw she had donned a pair of loose shorts, pink slippers, and a clinging tee-shirt. Her hair had not changed but she had come back with a brush and a hair tie.

Neji said nothing as she gently pulled his hair out from under his head and out of the cocoon he nestled in. She began brushing his hair with even strokes and Neji closed his eyes again, enjoying the ministrations. He opened his eyes when she finished brushing then felt her braiding his hair. He supposed it would be best to keep his hair back so it would not become messy as he lay in his cocoon of wonderfulness.

"There," Tenten said.

He watched as she stood then picked up the thermometer. He did not protest when she stuck it in his mouth and under his tongue. They waited and it beeped a moment later. Tenten hummed and shook her head.

"A hundred and one. And you wanted to train. Stubborn Hyuuga," Tenten said.

Neji tried to huff but ended up coughing instead. Tenten tsked once he finished but opened a pill bottle. She helped him swallow the little white pill along with the cool water and Neji let out a happy little breath. She had opened a jar of medical cream and pulled down his blankets enough so she could rub the cream onto the top of his chest and throat.

Neji tried not to pout when she finished but knew he failed when she giggled. She put his blankets back in place then nodded. Tenten sat on the floor in front of him with the table to her right and him to her left. She began to peel an orange and Neji watched her deft fingers moving, mesmerized by even this simple action.

He blinked when Tenten shoved an orange slice into his mouth. Neji chewed the orange when she raised her eyebrows. She nodded once he started chewing then went back to peeling the orange. Neji swallowed the orange slice and received another before he could protest. Neji decided it best not to protest and kept his eyes on Tenten as she carefully removed the rind from the orange slices and any seeds before popping the slice into his mouth.

After finishing the orange she wiped her hands on her shorts and looked to him. Neji said nothing as she smiled. She giggled again when he yawned. Neji wanted to keep looking at her but his eyelids drooped closed and he didn't try to fight it. He felt Tenten brush hair out of his face and hummed before giving into his body's demands to sleep. Perhaps he could relinquish his control for once.

* * *

Neji said nothing as he watched Tenten bustle about her apartment when he woke. He did not know the exact time but hours had passed. Tenten had managed to clean her apartment, the parts of it he could see, while he had napped in his blissful cocoon on her couch. At some point she had put a movie on but he hadn't been awake for it and Neji assumed she wanted it for the background noise.

He did not ask why she had picked an action film full of loud explosions and the clanking of swords during fight scenes but Tenten would never watch some romance movie. He appreciated it of her. Neji looked up when she placed a hand on his bare forehead, the back again as she had this morning.

"Hm, you feel cooler," Tenten said.

Neji opened his mouth without prompting and she stuck the thermometer in. They waited and she smiled when she looked at the temperature gauge.

"Well it dropped two degrees," Tenten said.

Neji hummed and watched as she opened the pill bottle again and helped him take another pill. Instead of peeling an orange she headed to her kitchen and Neji tried to shift to watch her. He failed because of the cocoon but did not mind. Tenten came back in due time with a bowl of some steaming liquid on a tray.

Neji shifted to a proper sitting position, mainly with Tenten's help and looked into the bowl once she placed the tray on his lap. Plain broth stared back up at him but Neji did not argue. He drank his broth and frowned when after a few sips he had to blow his nose.

Tenten sat beside him, peeling an orange and handing him tissues every so often. By the time he finished the broth he could breathe through his nose as if he had no cold. Neji ate the orange Tenten offered him without comment and she kissed his cheek in reward when he finished. He watched her walk away with the garbage and the tray.

His head felt better as well and his throat did not feel so dry. His could take a deep breath without choking on lingering mucus or coughing. His eyes did not feel sore and most of the body ache had gone away. He did not feel completely normal but he did not feel as he had this morning.

"Feeling better, dumpling?" Tenten questioned.

She had a grin on her face as if asking him to challenge her use of a nickname. Neji smiled before giving her a little nod. She beamed before sitting next to him again and grabbing the medicated cream from the table.

Neji said nothing as she worked the collar of his shirt down so she could rub the soothing cream on his chest and throat. He could smell it this time and hummed in appreciation as she lingered on his sternum before running her hands softly across his chest and neck.

She finished and he frowned. She kissed his cheek again before pulling the blankets around him but not as tightly. It allowed him to remain upright and sit comfortably beside her as she leaned against his shoulder. Neji looked to her to see her smiling happily. He frowned.

"I do not mind you sitting so close but, will you get sick?" Neji asked.

"Aww, you secret softy in worrying about me. I'll be fine, don't worry," Tenten replied.

"Hn,"

"I've been taking immune system boosting pills Sakura gave me,"

"Hn?"

"She uses them in the hospital so she doesn't get sick,"

"Hn?"

"She gave them to me because she figured you, Lee, or Guy would end up with a cold with the insane training you guys go through and someone who's sane would have to take care of you,"

"Hn,"

"Yes, training in the rain when it's cooler than normal is excessive. Jeez,"

"Hn,"

"Oh hush, you. Besides, it's nice to spend a day relaxing, right?"

She grinned and he could not help smiling. He had spent the day sleeping in Tenten's apartment on her couch but now they were able to sit peacefully beside each other with no obligations. Neji shifted so he could wrap her in the blankets with him and she laughed.

"I did let your uncle know you're sick so he's not worrying. He doesn't mind you hanging out here," Tenten said.

Neji kissed the top of her head and she rested her hand on his knee and squeezed. They cuddled on the couch watching the movie until the credits rolled. Neji pouted when Tenten freed herself from his grasp but did not mind the fact she bent over in her shorts to put another movie in.

She returned to him quickly enough by jumping onto the couch and Neji snorted while Tenten giggled. They snuggled into the blanket and pillow nest while the movie started. Neji yawned part way through but Tenten said nothing. He did not remember what happened next but when Neji opened his eyes, the television had become blank and the light barely streaming in reminded him of morning light.

Neji sat up and looked around. He smelled something delicious on the air and spotted Tenten in her kitchen. He stood and took two steps before realizing his head did not hurt. His eyes were not stinging and leaking in protest. His throat did feel dry but not as horribly as it had before. His chest did not feel congested and he could take an enourmous breath and let it out without being bothered by mucus.

"Morning sweetie," Tenten said.

Neji hummed before striding into her kitchen to join her at near the stove. She made omelets, rice, steamed vegetables, and had water boiling for tea. Neji kissed her cheek before setting the table for two as Tenten finished breakfast. He helped her bring the food to the table and had no qualms about eating.

"You should rest today," Tenten said.

"I feel fine," Neji told her.

Tenten raised an eyebrow. Neji opened his mouth to protest then blinked. His options were to go out and train with Guy-sensei and Lee yelling about youth or spending a quiet day cuddling with Tenten on her couch watching movies.

"Hn, I should rest," Neji said.

"Right, make sure the cold's completely run its course,"

"Hn,"

"I mean, we do want to make sure you're completely over it before running around with Guy-sensei and Lee all day,"

"Agreed,"

"Good. Besides, you look adorable all wrapped up in blankets and snuggling with teddy,"

She giggled and Neji snorted. They finished breakfast and Neji helped Tenten clean up. They had to untangle and re-arrange the blankets and pillows on the couch but Neji did not mind. He did take the vitamin pill Tenten offered him and settled into her couch with her moments later to watch another movie she had wanted to see.

Neji wrapped an arm around Tenten's waist and she easily leaned into him with a smile. Her body fit perfectly against his and Neji looked down to her as the movie began. Giving up his control had not been so horrible. He smiled and snuggled closer to Tenten. No, he did not mind allowing Tenten to control him for the day, or, perhaps, the rest of their lives.

* * *

 **Rock Lee**

"I cannot believe I am stuck taking care of you,"

Lee looked up at the Hyuuga prodigy and tried not to cough. Neji stood above him with a frown on his face, his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes narrowed. Lee had come to training as normal despite his entire body aching and his nose leaking to find Neji meditating against one of Tenten's targets.

Lee found out, quickly, Guy-sensei had been pulled away from them for a mission while Tenten had been pulled away for some kind of special kunoichi training. Lee hadn't minded one bit since it meant he would spar all day with his Eternal Rival.

Then he had tried to do a spinning kick, got dizzy, fell to the ground and started hacking. He had coughed up some goo and now he didn't feel like getting up since the world spun the moment he sat up. Neji had come over and felt his forehead with the back of his hand then scowled. Now they were having some kind of odd stare down contest.

Lee did not bother to tell Neji he could see up Neji's shorts with how loose they were. Lee couldn't see much besides Neji's mid-thighs anyway and besides they went to the bathhouse together with the other males and Guy-sensei enough it didn't really matter. He did not tell Neji how intimidating the other looked with the scowl on his face and his white eyes narrowed in glaring position.

At least Neji hadn't simply scoffed upon seeing Lee alone coming to the training field like he had last year. Naruto had beaten some sense into Neji, literally, during the chunin exams six months ago. Neji had been coming around since then and hadn't been so obsessed with fate. Even Neji, the prodigy, had spent time in the hospital because of the failed Sasuke Retrieval Mission.

It had made Neji realize people cared about him and he had been ill-informed about his entire reason to despise his clan. Lee knew and did not blame Neji in continuing to dislike the Caged Bird Seal. Lee thought the practice happened to be barbaric but didn't dare inform Neji about it. He could not predict how Neji would react. Besides, he rather hated the hospital.

"How in the world did you even catch this sickness?" Neji questioned.

Lee opened his mouth to respond but started coughing instead. He saw Neji shake his head and watched as Neji bent. Lee tried to help in the standing process and they got to a vertical base. Neji hummed and Lee let out a long breath of exhaustion as Neji arranged their arms. Lee said nothing and managed to keep back a grin. Neji had wrapped one arm around Lee's waist and one of Lee's arms embraced Neji's shoulders while Neji held the wrist.

"Hn,"

Neji's tired sound and Lee felt horrible for losing his youth and catching a sickness in the first place. He did walk when Neji began to and tried to breathe through his nose. It did not work well and Lee ended up coughing. He heard Neji sigh and wished he did not feel so weak. He loathed people seeing him as weak and wanted to work through the cold. Neji probably would not let him and Lee did not want to incur the Hyuuga's wrath.

Coming around or not, Neji could still be horribly terrifying which Lee did not feel like dealing with today.

* * *

Lee kept quiet as Neji stood in Lee's tiny apartment. They had arrived an hour ago and Neji had dropped him onto the couch. Lee had stayed where he had been dropped as Neji went into Lee's bedroom and came out with a pair of old jogging pants and a heavy sweater. Lee had helped best he could to get changed and didn't complain about being pulled from his training gear and into clothing he wore so rarely he was surprised it fit.

Neji had then thrown Lee's two thick blankets over him and given him two pillows to rest in. Now Neji poked around Lee's kitchen looking for something. Lee didn't know what exactly Neji sought but didn't want to ask. Neji had the annoyed look on his face which meant if Neji's thought process became interrupted he would not be pleased. Lee could not run away so he didn't want to test Neji's patience.

"Where do you keep your tea?" Neji asked.

He had turned. Lee opened his mouth but coughing came out. He watched Neji lift an eyebrow and wished he could laugh when Neji's Byakugan activated. Neji hummed and found the tea. Lee lay back on his couch in the comfortable warmth of blankets as Neji started a tea pot to boil.

Neji peered into Lee's refrigerator as the tea boiled and Lee wanted to tell Neji he wasn't hungry. Neji huffed and closed the refrigerator. He leaned against the counter with his arms cross over his chest and staring at the tea pot. Neji's eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were half-lidded. His lips were curled downwards but pursed.

If Lee didn't know any better he would think Neji looked concerned. No, Hyuuga Neji would not be worried over someone like him, Rock Lee. Teammates or not they had not made it to that level of friendship, at least, not that Lee had seen. They had played riveting team building exercises in which they knew each other secrets but it didn't make them instant friends.

Lee didn't think it mattered he knew Neji harboured some esteem issues about the color of his eyes, liked to sing in the shower, and would want Tenten to be the last person on earth with him. It didn't matter Lee had taken Neji's first kiss and they had found out Neji liked having his hair played with. Neji still, probably, maybe, didn't consider him a friend.

The teapot whistled and Neji went into action with smooth, graceful movements. Lee could not help being awed at how Neji made preparing tea look like an art and kept gaping even when Neji came over and gave him the hot tea. Neji hummed and moved a tissue box closer to Lee's proximity. Neji still frowned and Lee wondered.

"Stay here. I will return momentarily," Neji said.

Lee nodded and watched as Neji left the apartment. Lee shrugged and drank his tea. He did not expect Neji to return, not really, but Neji bringing him home and helping him get settled on the couch had been enough. Lee sipped his hot tea and blew his nose when the snot started to loosen from the tea's steam. He would get over this, alone, as per normal. It would be fine.

* * *

Lee didn't know _what_ to say when Neji strode into the apartment. Lee had finished his tea and curled into his blankets on his couch to nap and had been napping for, well, some time and now Neji had returned. Neji, shoulders sagged, eyes looking weary, and with a light frown on his face, carried four bags bursting with whatever it is he had purchased.

Lee watched as Neji came over to him and placed the bags on the floor beside his table. He kept staring as Neji began unpacking the bags. First, oranges, a dozen of them in their own bag, came out and were placed on the table. A bottle of pills which said something about helping with colds was placed beside the oranges followed by a medical cream Lee recognized as helping with chest congestion.

Two more boxes of tissues, herbal tea, cans of broth, and a bag of candies to help with the soreness of a throat were revealed and Lee simply stared. He couldn't close his mouth and he knew his eyes were twice the size they normally were. He wanted to cry and hug his Eternal Rival but Neji would easily side-step the hug since Lee happened to be in a weakened state. He blinked when Neji gathered his bags, empty now, and headed to the kitchen.

Neji placed his bags neatly on the counter before opening Lee's refrigerator and coming back with a bottle of water. Lee continued to gape as Neji opened the water then the pill bottle. He shook a pill out then offered the pill and the water. Lee took both and swallowed down the pill. Neji nodded before sitting on Lee's floor, between the table and the couch, and grabbed the bag of oranges.

"Neji?" Lee croaked out.

"Hn?"

"What are you doing?"

"Hn,"

Lee blinked at Neji's "don't be dense" sound. It came complete with an eye roll Lee saw because of the proper angle of light. Neji had even lifted one corner of his mouth in a semblance of a smirk. Lee grinned then coughed. Neji snorted and handed Lee the medical cream.

Lee opened the cream and began rubbing it into his chest and throat. He wanted to stop smiling but he couldn't help it. Hyuuga Neji would be taking care of him, Rock Lee, while Lee got over the cold. No one would believe Lee if he said anything but he didn't mind. It would be enough Neji had decided to stick around. Perhaps getting sick had its advantages.

Lee watched as Neji peeled an orange and began taking it apart slice by slice. He sipped his cold water as Neji relieved a slice of the rind and offered it to Lee. Lee took the orange slice and popped it into his mouth as Neji began working on the next slice. Lee noticed Neji's gaze kept on him more oft than not and wanted to grin with how hawk-liked the gaze had become.

Lee knew from experience Neji's eyes missed nothing. The slight tremble of an opponent's hand showing either fear or exhaustion, Neji could see it instantly. The extra second during a blink to relieve the eyes from sweat dripping down a forehead, Neji used it as an advantage. The tiniest wince when a hit landed, Neji would take it as a sign to keep going.

Even in their academy days Neji had been able to see the slightest differences in a person's stance during a fight to know when he had the win. It had been why he had become so perturbed during the fight with Hinata during the chunin exams. Hinata had shown all the signs of weakness during the fight but did not back down. She kept standing which finally made Neji snap and almost kill her.

Lee had understood. He had not agreed with Neji's methods but he knew all about the segregation between Main House and Branch House Hyuuga and how much Neji _hated_ his position in life, chosen for him, fated for him, and leaving him with no control. Lee had heard the fate speech enough times in the year he had known Neji before the exams.

He did not miss the speech.

Lee ate the next orange slice and considered his teammate. Neji had begun to hum lightly as he worked but Lee would not mention it. He would rather remain comfortable in the blankets Neji had gotten for him with his chakra network working smoothly. Neji's deft fingers worked smoothly to remove rind from orange and Lee couldn't help being fascinated with how dexterous his Eternal Rival was.

Of course Hyuuga Neji could make peeling an orange look beautiful. Lee had a feeling Tenten could as well. The way she beat up her hands practicing with her weapons and hitting her targets perfectly each time lent to having hands capable of doing any task with grace, flexibility, and awe-inspiring motions.

Neji did not speak as he kept offering orange slices he deemed cleaned enough. Lee did not dare say a word to break the soothing moment and simply ate his oranges without protest. Lee did not like oranges much but he knew he needed the vitamins they provided to get over this sickness which had sapped his youth quickly.

The orange disappeared as Lee took the last slice and Lee wondered what Neji would do now. He watched as Neji cleaned up the skin of the fruit and the rind. Neji threw out the mess and Lee figured surely _now_ Neji would leave. Lee kept staring as Neji came back to the table and grabbed the cans of broth.

These were moved to the kitchen and Lee assumed Neji would make it simple for Lee to make the broth when he got hungry later so Neji could simply walk out. No, Neji arranged the broth on the counter then came back into the sitting room. Neji had his face in a mainly neutral expression but Lee, well, he had gotten used to Neji's expressions or rather, lack of expressions over the almost two years they had known each other.

Neji's lips were turned down slightly more than normal and his eyebrows had the smallest of furrowing happening. Neji's eyes were also downcast and he had lowered his eyelids the tiniest amount so he did not seem so intimidating. Neji's shoulders were also stiffer than normal, his entire stance was and Lee knew Neji happened to be uncomfortable.

Neji hummed and Lee watched.

"Stay," Neji said softly.

Lee nodded. Neji left and Lee blinked. Lee leaned back in his couch and arranged the blankets over him so he was comfortable. Neji should not be returning this time but Lee could not be sure. Lee yawned and tried to stay awake but he couldn't. Lee let his eyes closed and let a smile come over his face. It would be interesting to see if Neji came back.

* * *

"Lee, Lee, wake up,"

Lee cracked his eyes open to see Neji staring down at him. Neji nodded and shifted back. Lee turned his head to see a steaming bowl of broth on his table along with a new bottle of water, a pill, and a cup of tea. Lee shifted until he could sit properly which made Neji lift the tray of broth. Lee took the broth and lifted the spoon but stopped.

Neji's intense gaze shifted to the pill and Lee put down his spoon to take the pill. Neji gave his sound of affirmation and Lee began sipping his broth. It made his nose run and Lee took tissues from the tray every so often to clear out his nose. He finished without comment from Neji who took the tray with the now-empty tissue box, the empty bowl, and a mass of used tissues away. Neji started walking to the kitchen but stopped and gave a pointed look to the medical cream. Lee picked up the jar and Neji gave him a nod.

Lee rubbed the medical cream on as Neji cleared off the tray then returned to peel another orange. Lee took up the steaming tea when Neji gave the tea a meaningful look. Lee wanted to laugh at Neji's actions but didn't want to test his reflexes yet.

The soreness of his throat had mainly disappeared and he did not feel so congested. Lee felt as if he could run around and train again but knew he body would get tired faster than normal. The cold had not run its course yet and besides, Lee had decided he did not mind having Neji around to care for him.

Lee noticed a bag beside his couch and realized the bag matched the one Neji took on away missions. It meant Neji had packed to stay overnight and Lee did not know what to do with this information. He opened his mouth to ask about it but Neji offered an orange slice. Lee took the slice of orange and chewed it. He took another sip of tea when Neji gave him a look.

"You are staying?" Lee asked.

"Hn,"

Neji's agreement sound, specifically the one which said _not_ to argue or question him in his decision. Lee nodded. He would not argue with his teammate. Team Guy worked so well because they were all notoriously stubborn in everything they did. They never gave up so if Neji decided he would stay overnight then there would be no swaying him.

"Thank you," Lee said.

If not for Neji, Lee would have been alone. Guy-sensei, if not on the mission would have come to take care of him without question. If Tenten had not been in her kunoichi training then she would be doing this because she mothered them all. Lee had not thought Neji had come around so swiftly.

"Hn,"

Neji's happy sound which made Lee smile. Lee continued to eat the orange Neji offered and sipped the herbal tea Neji had prepared. The orange and tea depleted which made Neji get up to clean the mess. He came back with two cups of tea this time and Lee accepted his as Neji settled onto the floor again.

They said nothing but the silence had no ill tones. Lee found he drifted in a state of half consciousness and dozed as Neji sat with him. Neji did not bother him for not drinking the tea and Lee snoozed on his couch under Neji's sharp gaze.

"Lee,"

Lee opened his eyes to see morning light streaming through his windows and Neji standing near him. Neji's long hair had been left loose and Lee noticed the dark brown locks were damp. Neji wore his normal training attire but had forgone the bandages he normally wrapped around his right leg and arm.

Lee smelled eggs, vegetables, and other savory scents and his stomach rumbled. Neji hummed, amused, and Lee sat up. He did not remember falling asleep but did notice Neji had likely used his shower. He also spotted boxes of take out on the table along with tissues, two large mugs of tea, and oranges.

Lee settled on the floor in front of the boxes of take out and said nothing as Neji helped him open boxes. Omelets, brown rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and steamed vegetables were revealed and Lee had no issue beginning to eat the large breakfast.

"Are you feeling better?" Neji questioned.

Lee considered. He could breathe and eat at the same time and his throat did not feel sore. His body hurt a little but he could train through it. He did not feel so dizzy and he wanted to race out into the day to train.

"My youth has returned, thanks to you, Eternal Rival," Lee said.

"Hn,"

Neji's joyful sound complete with a small smile and a nod of his head. Lee beamed and continued to eat. Lee had no issue with helping Neji clean up, after of course he had eaten the orange and drank the tea Neji had provided. Lee zoomed into his bathroom to wash then into his room to dress in his beloved green spandex.

He came out of his room expecting Neji to be gone but Neji sat on the floor, finishing wrapping the bandages around his right arm. Neji's left leg had the bandages in place and Lee stared at his teammate, his friend, for a moment as Neji finished then stood.

"We will do some light training today so your body can finish getting over the illness," Neji said.

"Yosh," Lee agreed.

He spotted the little grin on Neji's face and smiled. Neji nodded and together they left Lee's apartment. Lee noted Neji had brought his bag with him and had a feeling Neji had packed the oranges, tea, and some form of lunch. Lee did not race ahead as he normally did and strode beside Neji through the streets of Konoha as the Village woke up around them.

Birds sung in the air and the bright blue sky overhead had few fluffy white clouds marring its perfection. The air had a crisp, cool smell to it and Lee beamed. Autumn had begun its descent but he did not mind. It meant his birthday would be coming soon. He would get to celebrate with his friends and Lee gave into the urge to wrap an arm around Neji's shoulders.

Neji hummed, content, and nodded. Lee chuckled. Losing his youth for a day had not been so horrible and today would mark the brightness of the friendship he and Neji shared. Lee could not wait to tell Guy-sensei. Their team bonds had become stronger and Lee knew they would be unstoppable. Today would be perfect.

* * *

 **Might Guy**

His youth had been sapped from him and Guy moaned at the injustices of the world. He lay on the floor in his apartment and stared at the ceiling which had the morning light splayed across it. He had moved from his bed with his normal morning leap then promptly fell on his face with a groan after his body tried to get rid of a lung.

It had taken him much too long to roll onto his back and here he lay in his green boxer shorts and a white muscle shirt staring at his ceiling. He could barely move and all his throat wanted to do was be dry and itchy. He had to breathe through his mouth since his nose happened to be clogged with snot which currently tried to escape down his throat.

Guy hacked a few times and groaned. He should be meeting with the Hokage today about becoming a sensei but he could not get off the floor to even stumble to the shower. The Hokage did not know about the meeting but Guy wanted to lay claim on the boy in the academy who had no ninjutsu or genjutsu and no chakra control to speak of.

Rock Lee.

The stubborn child who trained as best he could but still lacked any stamina and skill to be any kind of shinobi. There was a fire in the boy's eyes Guy liked and recognized as the Fires of Youth. Lee _would_ become a great shinobi but Guy had to be the one to take him under his wing. The boy needed _his_ guidance and graduation would be happening soon.

Guy needed to convince the Hokage to let the boy pass and be placed on a team with him. The other two with Lee would not matter so long as Guy could teach Lee all about Youth, cool suits, and deadly taijutsu. Guy would make Lee a taijutsu master...once he could get off his floor.

Guy struggled to sit up and made it. The motion took the breath from him and Guy had to catch said breath. It didn't work as he immediately began to start coughing and he had no choice but to hack the offending gunk in his throat onto his floor. Guy looked at the mucus and sagged.

Of all the times he had caught the cold going around in Konoha, it had to be on the day he decided to talk to the Hokage about being Lee's sensei. Guy shifted to get to his hands and knees and crawled across his apartment to his kitchen. He grabbed onto the counter and hoisted his body up.

Sweat poured from his forehead and he panted as if he had spent an entire day training at full force. Guy leaned against his counter and its blessed coolness as he tried to catch his breath. He hacked more mucus into his sink and leaned there while his body protested in pain and his head swam.

Guy gave into his body's demands to sit down and slipped down his counter until landing on his rump. He leaned his head against his cupboards and closed his eyes. Every muscle hurt as if he had performed Morning Peacock too many times then decided to run laps on his hands a thousand times around Konoha.

His chest felt stuffed with cotton and his throat mimicked the desert of Suna. His ears rung softly and his head felt too heavy for his body. Guy wiped his leaking eyes and knew he had no cold medicine in his apartment. Perhaps he could try to gain enough strength to make it into the market to stock up on something to get rid of this cold.

Guy had no idea how long he sat there but he heard his door opening. Guy managed to move his head enough to see someone picked his lock and blinked when the door opened to reveal Kakashi.

"Yo," Kakashi said.

Guy stared and wished he could close his mouth. The dimness in his apartment told him the day had passed and Guy wanted to cry. Leave it to his Eternal Rival to come check on him in his hours of need.

"Kakashi," Guy got out.

Guy watched as Kakashi's eyebrows lifted and the exposed eye blinked a few times. Kakashi snapped closed his orange-covered book and walked deeper into the apartment. Guy said nothing as Kakashi kicked the door closed and walked into the kitchen.

"You're sick?" Kakashi questioned.

He sounded stunned. Guy didn't blame him. Guy was the most youthful, beautiful beast in Konoha and he had succumb to a common _cold_ which had sapped his youth and left him feeling like a child.

"Huh," Kakashi said.

Guy kept staring and didn't protest when Kakashi tossed him over a shoulder and headed towards Guy's bedroom. Guy tried to warn Kakashi about the dried mucus on the floor but Kakashi stepped in it. Kakashi didn't seem to notice and Guy let out a tiny breath which made him start coughing.

His eyes rolled in his head as Kakashi threw him into bed and for a few minutes Guy watched the ceiling spin. He grunted when he was forced into a sitting up position and blinked at the bowl of steaming broth on the tray which had appeared on his lap.

Guy looked to his rival to see Kakashi smiling under the mask. Guy felt tears in his eyes but would hug his Eternal Rival later. Instead he took a spoonful of broth. Guy swallowed but wanted to spit the broth out.

It tasted _horrible_ and he could hardly taste. Too much salt and _oil_ for some odd reason and Guy wished he could give Kakashi cooking lessons. No wonder Kakashi came around near dinner time or ate out. He couldn't cook to keep himself alive.

Guy drank down the broth as quickly as possible and hated how the running of his nose impeded him from getting the offending broth down. At least it helped him get the mucus out of his nose and allowed him to breath.

Guy blinked at the orange which replaced the broth and began peeling it. He watched as Kakashi nodded then his Eternal Rival hummed.

"You're going to need some medication. I'll be back. Don't try to move," Kakashi said.

Guy blinked and nodded. He said nothing as Kakashi headed to the bedroom door then paused. Guy kept Kakashi's single-eyed gaze for a few moments and wondered what his Eternal Rival thought of.

"Who am I kidding? You're going to try to move," Kakashi muttered.

He bit his thumb through his mask and Guy blinked when Kakashi summoned a small pug, Pakkun. The pug looked between Kakashi then Guy and let out a huge breath.

"Make sure he doesn't go anywhere," Kakashi said.

"Right," Pakkun muttered.

Guy said nothing as Kakashi left and Pakkun came up to the bed. It took the pug a moment to leap onto the bed with Guy and Guy had a staring contest with Kakashi's summon. Guy did a mental victory dance when Pakkun lowered his eyes, well, rolled his eyes as much as a dog could.

"Eat your orange," Pakkun said.

Guy nodded and peeled his orange. He took it apart slice by slice and removed the rind before doing as Pakkun suggested. Pakkun's nose wrinkled at the smell of orange but Guy couldn't help it. Guy finished his orange and put the tray on his night stand.

Guy leaned back in his pillows and let out a long breath. He watched as Pakkun spun in a circle a few times then lied over his lap. Guy smiled and lightly scratched behind the pug's ears as Pakkun got comfortable. Guy closed his eyes and rested. He would be on his feet soon.

* * *

"More broth,"

Guy cracked his eyes open to see Kakashi smiling at him through the mask and holding _another_ tray of steaming broth. This tray had a box of tissues, medical cream, a bottle of pills, oranges, and a bottle of water. Guy didn't have a choice in taking the tray as Kakashi set it down on his lap.

Guy spotted Pakkun by his side and felt the bed shift as Kakashi sat beside him. Guy could _smell_ the foul broth and sighed. He took the offered pill first, rubbed on the medical cream, and blew his nose with a few tissues before picking up the spoon.

Guy saw Pakkun's eyes go wide and the pug's lips parted as Guy put the spoon full of horrible broth into his mouth. It was _saltier_ and Guy noticed brown pieces of _something_ floating it in along with too hard rice. Guy had no idea Kakashi was such a horrible cook.

"What is the brown bits?" Guy questioned.

"Chicken," Kakashi said.

Guy stared at the atrocity of the burned chicken in his broth and wanted to cry for the offense Kakashi had done to the cooking world. Guy made a promise he would show Kakashi how to cook properly once he could get back on his feet. Right after he talked to the Hokage about getting to be Lee's sensei.

"Did the Hokage assign sensei's to the new genin teams?" Guy asked.

"Hm? No, not yet. Not many are offering and he's got about ten teams for sure. Why?" Kakashi returned.

"I want to be the one to train the boy, Rock Lee,"

"Dead last?"

"I was dead last,"

"Point,"

Kakashi looked pensive and Guy gulped the broth down as quickly as he could. He felt terrible after but he could breathe properly and his stomach didn't feel so empty. Besides, Kakashi looked elated. Kakashi took the bowl and spoon before leaving the room.

"I can't believe you drank that," Pakkun said.

"He tries," Guy said.

"Urg, you'll get food poisoning on top of this,"

"He's not _that_ bad,"

"You'd be surprised,"

* * *

Guy inhaled deeply through his nose as he stood in his beloved spandex, orange leg warmers, flank vest and shinobi sandals. He had to tie his hitai-ate a little tighter than normal around his waist but Pakkun had been correct. He had gotten over the cold but Kakashi's broth had given him food poisoning. Guy had been down a total of three days but now he felt as youthful as normal.

So long as Kakashi didn't cook him anything _ever_ again, all would be well. Guy strode up the steps to the Hokage Tower and hoped he wasn't too late. The students would be assigned sensei in two days and Guy _needed_ to train Rock Lee.

The boy would fail under anyone else because no one would see his potential. Guy knew he could bring out the power, determination, and _youth_ of Rock Lee. He knew he could make the boy a taijutsu matter but it would all be for naught if he could not even get to introduce himself to the boy.

Guy entered the Hokage Tower with a beaming grin and the old man looked at him with raised eyebrows as smoke filtered out of his pipe. Guy gave a Nice Guy pose and saw the Third grin. The third's attendants rolled their eyes but Guy didn't mind.

"I am requesting to be the sensei of—" Guy began.

"Rock Lee. It's done," the Third said.

Guy stared. No one else had known of his desire...Kakashi. Guy thanked the Hokage profusely before running from the room to track down his Eternal Rival. He found Kakashi within minutes, leaning against the wall of the Academy with the little orange book in front of his face.

"My Eternal Rival," Guy shouted.

He hugged Kakashi who actually _took it_ and began crying. Kakashi snorted but Guy didn't care.

"How kind of you to speak to the Hokage on my behalf! And taking care of me when I was ill! And staying with me through the entire sickness, not only the runny nose part! Thank you Kakashi! How will I ever repay you?"

"Well, you can stop yelling in my ear for one,"

Guy beamed as he stepped back and held Kakashi by the shoulders. He could see Kakashi grinning under the mask and laughed loudly. Kakashi nodded once.

"Thanks for eating my broth. I know I'm not the best cook," Kakashi said.

Guy decided to keep his mouth shut on the topic. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head with a little chuckle and Guy waited.

"I know I gave you food poisoning so it was the least I could do to tell the Third about the kid," Kakashi said.

Guy coughed to hide a laugh and Kakashi shrugged. Guy patted Kakashi's shoulder and gave him a Nice Guy pose which Kakashi smiled at.

"Then allow me to repay you by teaching you how to cook," Guy said.

"Ah, well all right,"

"Wonderful! Let us go now and burn in the flames of Youth!"

Guy dragged Kakashi away from the wall of the academy and away from the window where the next class of genin watched with wide-eyed stares as their sensei muttered something about the craziness of Guy. Said sensei told them to hope Guy wouldn't ever ask for a genin team then went about with one of the final lessons.

A pair of pearl-like eyes narrowed and the owner of the white eyes huffed at the too loud man in his green spandex before glaring at the sensei teaching him what he all ready knew. The Fates would not be so cruel as to put him with such an immature man.

A large pair of dark eyes under a mop of messy black bangs stared in awe at the powerful looking man in the dashing green outfit and wished Guy would be his sensei. Surely he would learn much from the energized man and become a superb shinobi even without genjutsu or ninjutsu.

Brown-gold eyes were wide as the girl with buns a top her head hoped she would be with anyone but the green-clad man. She needed someone level headed to show her more weapons she could master. The green-clad man wouldn't know anything about the sharp pointy objects she obsessed over.

Guy, Guy knew none of this. He was too busy dragging Kakashi to his home and yelling about how to properly make chicken noodle soup at the same time as buying the proper ingredients for said soup. Kakashi wished he had not agreed to being taught how to cook and wondered why there were so many ingredients for a simple soup. Didn't all it require was chicken, rice, oil, water, and salt?

Guy, oblivious Guy, would meet his team in three days after spending all three teaching Kakashi how to prepare a proper meal. Kakashi would come out of it feeling mentally drained but thank his friend, his Eternal Rival for the lesson then watch as Guy met his team and laugh as Guy ran around with the three children like the madman he was.

Guy, he wouldn't trade any of it for anything.

* * *

 **Tenten**

Sunlight streamed through the window as birds happily chirped outside. A warm breeze blew through the open window and Tenten groaned. She cracked one eyelid open and winced at the brightness of the sky.

Her head pounded and she couldn't breathe through her nose. She coughed a few times then pulled her covers over her head to block out the beautiful sunny day. Tenten shivered under her blankets and curled mainly into herself. What a time to get sick.

Of course it had to be when Neji would be on a mission. He wouldn't be due back for another day or more and out of everyone she knew he would be the one to check on her to make sure nothing happened. Well, Guy-sensei and Lee would too but they would take too long to figure out to come to her house then be too _loud_ for the headache she had.

Neji, pretty, pretty Neji would be quiet as he helped her get over her sickness. He would bundle her up in blankets, feed her warm broth, and give her pain pills like she had done for him when he'd gotten sick last year. Her boyfriend would dot over her with the kind of sweetness no one thought possible of him.

Tenten grinned then started coughing forcefully. It made her head throb harder and she groaned. She felt snot running out of her nose and snuck her hand out from under the covers to snag a tissue. Blowing her nose made her head pound and Tenten moaned. She might have to drag her achy body out of bed to start fixing her cold alone.

The immune boosting pills Sakura had given her had worked last year. Too bad she'd forgotten to pick up more _this_ year when cold season started. Then she had gone on the mission in the rain a few days ago and trained way too hard with Lee and Guy-sensei for the past two days. No wonder she had gotten sick.

Tenten sighed then coughed again. She snuggled deeper into her blankets and wished her quiet Neji happened to be around. If he had been back from his mission then she would be late arriving to the field by now and he would have come to check on her. He knew she would never miss training and knew something would be wrong.

Hell, he would have arrived with chocolate ice cream, pain pills, tampons, and her favorite action movies. He'd make sure she was comfortable with a heating pad, tea, and whatever else she needed as she worked through a horrible day of being female. He wouldn't judge and she would snuggle against him on the couch while he lightly rubbed her back.

Tenten didn't know how she'd gotten so lucky landing the prettiest and most considerate guy in the world. He hadn't run away to become powerful, he didn't complain about training, and okay, maybe he was socially inept sometimes but he _tried_. Okay, maybe he'd never show his soft side to their friends but she didn't mind. She didn't even care Ino didn't believe the "Hyuuga Ice cube" could be melted but Tenten would never tell the blond Neji _could and would_ melt if Tenten had anything to say about it.

She grinned but it didn't last long as she began coughing. She needed to drink something hot preferably, and get a lot of vitamin C into her. Tenten took a deep breath and pushed the covers down. She managed to sit on the edge of the bed and had to take a breather as her head swam and the room tilted funny to one side.

Her stomach cramped and Tenten grunted. She blinked the water out of her eyes and stared at her stomach for a few moments. Tenten put a hand to her belly as a cramp came again and tried to decipher the cramp.

It could be her body wanting to throw up because of the cold. It could be the fact she had to use the bathroom because of all the vegetables she'd eaten in the past few days, more than normal as Guy-sensei had been trying new ways to sauté and steam them. She _prayed_ it wouldn't be the third reason for a cramp. That would be too cruel of Mother Nature.

The cramp came again and Tenten folded into it. It wasn't from being sick or eating veggies. No, she had started her cycle on top of getting a cold. Tenten whined and shifted until she ended up on the floor in a crouch. She couldn't stand but she had to get to the bathroom so her bedroom wouldn't look like a murder scene.

"Stupid cold, stupid uterus," Tenten muttered.

She crawled towards her bathroom across the hallway and had to stop once she reached the cool tile. Tenten let out a long breath and closed her eyes for a few long moments. Another cramp reminded her why she had gotten out of her cozy bed and she groaned. Tenten opened her cupboard and found what she needed.

It took her way longer than she wanted to make sure she wouldn't bleed all over the place and when she finished she leaned against the bathroom wall. Her head pounded and she wanted to go lie down because the world had gotten spinny again but she couldn't move. She coughed and choked on the mucus in her throat. Tenten got the glob into her bathtub and smirked at her impeccable aim even when sick.

Tenten closed her eyes and considered her situation.

Okay. She had gotten a cold and her period on the same day. Obviously Mother Nature hated her. Her boyfriend wouldn't be back for a few days yet while her sensei and best friend were too oblivious to realize she'd be missing from training until at least mid-day.

She wasn't strong enough to get off her bathroom floor but she needed medicine, oranges, broth, tissues, water, and a heating pad. Ice cream would be nice. And a back massage. Oh and for her temples to be massaged with little bursts of chakra so her headache would go away. She needed her boyfriend for the latter. Or his cousin.

She would get none of it sitting on the bathroom floor. At least she wouldn't make too big of a mess of anything. Tenten sighed and began coughing. She wiped away the snot leaking out of her nose and prayed Guy-sensei and Lee wouldn't be _too_ slow.

* * *

Tenten stared at the vibrant green concoction in her hand and stared at Guy-sensei who beamed at her. Lee had an equally happy smile on his face and Tenten wanted to know where they had found nurse hats and aprons. The white smocks and hats made their green spandex _brighter_ and Tenten had to squint so her sore eyes didn't simply roll out of her head in defeat.

"Drink precious lotus! You will feel revitalized," Guy-sensei said.

He didn't understand speaking _softly_ around a sick person and Tenten winced as her ears rung and her head keep pounding. The green _stuff_ in her glass looked horrible. Thick, _green_ , and it had bubbles of something it in. She didn't want to drink it.

All she had wanted was broth, oranges, and some water. No, now she had been cocooned in blankets, way too many blankets, and propped upright on her couch while the two males of her team in Konoha tried to convince her to drink the horrible mush.

"It is full of kale, spinach, banana, orange, strawberry, carrots, and green tea," Guy-sensei said. "Enough to beat back this sickness which has sapped your youth and get you back to training in no time!"

Tenten hated raw spinach and liked her green tea warm, not mixed in with fruits and veggies in some kind of weird cure her insane sensei had brewed. Guy-sensei kept giving her a Nice Guy pose and Tenten gritted her teeth. She chucked the glass and unerringly whapped Guy-sense in the head. Lee gaped and Tenten wished she could get to her feet so she could yell at the two.

"I _said_ broth, oranges, and water! Not some weird cure you think'll help! Urg," Tenten shouted.

She pulled a blanket over her head and decided ignoring the two would be better. Tenten closed her eyes and heard Lee dragging Guy-sensei away, towards her kitchen. She rubbed her temples as Guy-sensei hummed and made other sounds as he thought of a solution to the problem.

Tenten wanted to request tampons and pain pills. She had one tampon left and her pain meds were stashed in a cupboard in the bathroom. Tenten knew Lee and Guy-sensei would buy the entire selection of tampons if she asked and she didn't have the storage space for a store's worth of feminine products.

She heard Guy-sensei moving around in the kitchen and sighed when he said he would make her some other cure. Tenten wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose in exasperation but it wouldn't help any because of snot and mucus. She heard the blender stop what felt like hours later to her poor sore head and knew Guy-sensei stood in front of her with something else. Tenten pursed her lips and flung out the senbon she had hiding in her couch.

Tenten grinned when Guy-sensei yelped and a second glass shattered. Lee commended her on her aim and she leaned back on the couch. Again Guy-sensei promised another cure and she heard him go to the kitchen. Tenten groaned but the blender had turned on again so her sound of annoyance couldn't be heard.

Again Guy-sensei came to stand in front of her and Tenten peered out of her blanket nest. The cure _still_ had a vibrant green tone. Tenten sighed. Guy-sensei kept grinning with Lee giving a Nice Guy pose beside him. The staring contest lasted all of five minutes before Tenten used a shuriken under her couch cushion to break this cure.

She said nothing as Guy wheezed dramatically before announcing he would make yet another. Tenten knew she could out-stubborn him on a good day but she wanted to rest and curse Mother Nature _alone_. This wouldn't end well, not when she had a scroll tucked into the cushion beside her.

Guy-sensei and Lee came back with another bright green cure and Tenten sighed. She jolted when her front door slammed open and gaped in awe. Tears welled in her eyes and she beamed happily.

"What in the _Hell_ are you doing?" Neji questioned.

His eyebrows were furrowed and he had a scowl on his face. White eyes were wide for the full creepy effect and his entire body stayed tense. Tenten noticed he had a few little rips in his Hyuuga robes here and there as well as a bit of dirt on his face. He still looked way better than anyone had a right to after a weeklong mission.

"Trying to cure our ailing lotus," Guy-sensei boomed.

Tenten winced. She watched as Neji calmly strode into her sitting room. He glanced to Tenten and she pouted. One eyebrow rose and Neji hummed. A moment later, he moved. Guy-sensei and Lee hardly had time to yelp before they were Gentle Fisted back through her door. Neji closed the door silently and turned to her.

"Hn?" He asked.

"My head hurts, my back hurts, I can't breathe and my throat is all itchy and I hate being a girl sometimes," Tenten said.

Neji blinked and Tenten sniffled. He nodded and Tenten leaned back in her blankets as she watched him moving about her kitchen. Her heating pad came out first and she smiled as he filled it then came over to help her out of the blankets so she could sit properly. He helped arranged the heating pad for her before going back into the kitchen and cleaning.

He made broth quickly and found oranges in her fridge. Within an hour, Tenten happily ate Neji's broth as he peeled an orange beside her. He had to keep wiping her nose or held a tissue to it so she could clear up the snot dripping out because of the steam but he didn't mention anything. Tenten finished her broth and ate the orange Neji had peeled for her as he cleaned up again.

He went down the hallway and Tenten kept beaming as he came back with her pain pills. He gave her a bottle of water and she looked up at him. He leaned down enough to wipe the hair back from her forehead and she flushed when his lips landed on her forehead.

"Stay," Neji said.

Tenten nodded. She snuggled into her couch and knew Neji would be back with what he knew she needed. She closed her eyes and tried not to consider how lucky she had been he had arrived as if summoned. She wouldn't question fate.

* * *

Tenten blew her nose with the tissue Neji offered wordlessly. She had taken the medicine Neji had bought at the store and she had been able to change her tampon with the exact brand Neji had purchased for her. Her favorite ice cream was in the freezer and he had made more broth for her to eat.

He had also rubbed vapor gel along her neck and upper chest which made her able to breath and given her a temple massage with chakra flares to beat back the pounding in her head. He had then lied out on the couch so she could lay a top him the way she liked and he rubbed her back as they watched one of her favorite movies.

"Thanks," Tenten said.

"Hn," Neji said.

Tenten smiled at his content sound. She stared into his face and saw his eyes were half-lidded and a small smile curled his lips. He had relaxed completely under her and she cuddled into his body. He had taken his shirt off and she could feel all his smooth skin and the hard muscles underneath.

She had one hand over the rough, puckered flesh of the scar on the left side Kidomaru had left him with but he didn't mind. Her other hand snaked back around his waist and she kept her head on his sternum. The steady beating of his heart made her feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

His legs had tangled around hers under the blankets. He had made sure she had been fully covered from foot to the back of her neck even if it meant leaving his upper chest and arms exposed. Tenten knew he didn't mind.

She studied the regal cut of his jaw and his slender nose. The arch of his slender eyebrows caught her attention and she noted the thickness of his dark lashes. Her eyes roamed over his high cheek bones and the curve of his Adam's Apple before looking towards the column of his throat.

She beamed when his white eyes shifted to stare at her. The smile on his face became a little wider and she kissed his chin. The slightest bit of stubble had started to come out along his jaw but she didn't mind. He would shave it in the morning.

Tenten placed her head back down and let out a happy sigh. Neji hummed under her as his hand ran up and down her spine in comfort. Tenten felt her eyelids grow heavy and let them shut.

Her head didn't hurt and her throat wasn't as sore or scratchy. She could breathe through her nose and her cramps had subsided thanks to Neji's natural body heat and them lying stomach to stomach. The world could fall into ruin around her but Tenten wouldn't care. She had her boyfriend to help her get over the double whammy she'd been thrown and she couldn't think of anything better.

* * *

Reviews welcome.


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